Mayor of London Boris Johnson was today urged to get behind a 20 month energy price freeze, saving the average London family £120. At today’s Mayor’s Question Time Labour Group London Assembly Member Environment spokesperson Murad Qureshi challenged the Mayor to support a policy that puts more back into the pockets of hard working Londoners. 

The government made a decision to cut green levies, a policy supported by the Mayor. As consequence of the changes, the government has claimed £50 would be wiped off consumer energy bills. However, given energy bills have gone up by £120 this winter, consumers will still see a £70 hike in bills. 

Labour Group London Assembly Member Environment spokesperson Murad Qureshi said:

“Londoners are facing a cost of living crisis and rising energy bills are one of the biggest domestic utility bills they receive. The Mayor and Government still don’t get it. The Mayor can claim that cutting green levies saves Londoners money but providing £1000 for home owners to insulate their properties is a long way short of the sort of targeted support required. 

“As Mayor of London Boris should be backing an energy price freeze and trying to put more money back in Londoners’ pockets. The energy companies are calling the shots, making demands and holding Londoners’ bills hostage. They said jump and Boris says how high. It is political cowardice. But it’s not too late for the Mayor to back the price freeze and show Londoners he is on their side.”

The late Cllr Mushtaq Qureshi meeting Nelson Mandela during his1996 state under the suspicious watch of Tory Cllrs

Its bad enough hearing crocodile tears from Prime Minister & Tory Party Leader David Cameron but Cllr Philippa Roe, Leader of Westminster City Council has also got into the act by saying:

“Nelson Mandela was a global icon and loved by millions of people. He had a strong connection with people in Westminster and with Westminster itself. He was the only person still living who had a statue in Parliament Square – a true testament to his unique strength, courage and bravery.”

Whilst she was not on the Council at the time, she should be reminded that when President Mandela made his visit to London in 1996, the then Labour group called a special meeting to award him the Freedom of the City, and the Conservatives voted the motion down precisely on the grounds that he did not have any particular connection to Westminster.

Other councils in the capital including the Corporation of London embarrassed the Westminster Tories at the time by giving Mr Mandela a freedom honour. A spokesman for the Corporation said: “It was a privilege to recognise his service to humanity.”

Furthermore she should be reminded of how obstructive the Council was in putting up the statue of Mandela on the North Terrace of Trafalgar Square in close proximity to the South Africa embassy. And while Parliament Square was the compromise, it would have been so much better on the Square.

So while Madiba tells us to forgive we should not forget.

Destroying the Chinese war junks in the battle of Amoy 1841

The Cameron trade trip to China risked being overshadowed by his kowtowing to the Chinese by offering HS2.  He would have been better off apologising for the Opium Wars.

First, the history; the first Opium war was initiated by the then Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston, in pursuit of full compensation for the destroyed Opium which was grown in British controlled India and illegally exported to China. As a result of gun boat diplomacy, China was forced to open five ports to foreign merchants and give territorial concession to Hong Kong.

 There were of course other British politicians of the day like William Gladstone who denounced Lord Palmerston’s willingness to protect this infamous contraband traffic. Palmerston was clearly protecting the right of British companies to export such goods, while naturally, China wanted the right to stop them becoming the social menace they subsequently become in Chinese society.  The rest they say is history.

One may ask as l did on my first trip to Beijing & the Summer Palace, why should the Communists of today in China still be concerned by this great loss of face for the Qing dynasty? Well, nationalism is still a very strongly held sentiment in China and the Communist Party of China has since its early beginnings harnessed this sense well in defence of the country.

My suspicions all along is that an apology for this done, incidentally in the name of free trade, would be the best way to open up the Chinese market in a much bigger way than the trade delegation could ever achieve as it passes through Beijing at present.

While some suggest we should beware of the Chinese bearing gifts because of their track record over safety and the ecological impact of their own high speed trains, the reality is that it is the Prime Minister who is egging on such deals with their involvement in HS2 as he made his bold claim that “an open Britain is the ideal partner for an opening China” attempting to fund new British infrastructure through foreign investment rather than any public investment. This is on top of already giving an expensive nuclear subsidy deal to Chinese investors undertaken by the government Department for Energy & Climate Change. Remember he had already sent out his Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin and Energy Secretary Ed Davey to sell these wares to the People’s Republic.

There is also the question about whether the UK is truly open for Chinese business anyway, by for example asking the Chinese businesses in the West End? Well quite honestly they still feel aggrieved by the stark contrast of the last official trade delegation to China which was headed by the Chancellor and the Mayor of London wooing Chinese businesses, whilst here in Britain, Chinese restaurant businesses were being raided by the UK Border Agency.

Clearly the left hand of government did not know what the right hand was doing as the Treasury and the Home Office (helped by the Mayor) sent over some very mixed messages about Chinese businesses in London.  The former suggested it would make it easier for the Chinese to get visas into London while the latter targeted Chinese restaurants in an operation to root out illegal immigrants.  Also, has anyone else notice the conspicuous lack of Chinese faces amongst the Prime Minister’s Trade delegation – a poultry one out of the entire delegation!

It is clear to me there is much emotional capital to be gained by the offer of an apology for past deeds.  An apology would also help distinguish us from the plethora of other powerful nations vowing for Chinese investment as we lag behind both France and Germany in these stakes.  Sentiment and history are important values in Chinese societies and an apology would I believe prise open the trade door more than any offerings of nuclear power & HS2 investment opportunities could ever do.

The Sun came out this week to condemn Bojo as a thicko.  If the Sun are saying this then I reckon the Mayor’s charm and bluster is beginning to wear thin.   Anyone got any idea what the Mayor’s IQ is – answer’s on a post card………………… Thats precisely what the TImes is asking today as well

Mayor of London Boris Johnson announced on Tuesday that Transport for London will increase travelcards above inflation next year. Since Boris was elected as Mayor in 2008 he has increased fares above inflation every year, with single bus fares rising as much as 55 per cent. 

Residents living in Zone 6 and travelling to Zone 1 will see an increase of 4.32 per cent as their yearly travelcard rises from £2,224.00 to £2,320.00 and residents living in zone 4 and travelling to Zone 1 will see an increase of 4.13 per cent as their yearly travel card rises from £1,744.00 to £1,816.00 

Londonwide Assembly Member Murad Qureshi AM said:

“Boris is using smoke and mirrors to mask his fare rises, all this from a Mayor who stated last year that he will bear down on fares. We have had five years of inflation busting fare rises under Boris, with bus fares up 55% and Tube fares up 30%. It’s disappointing that he hasn’t rolled out this real term freeze across all pay as you go and travel card fares, as residents living in Zone 6 and 4 will see an increase of 4.32 and 4.13 per cent respectively in their yearly travelcard . 

“Most travel cards will go up above inflation which means over half of Londoners will see an above inflation fare rise. The Mayor is on shaky ground to claim that he is freezing fares in real terms. Boris is hitting many Londoners with an effective tax on work. He must abandon TfL’s plan to raise fares above inflation for the next ten years.

With fellow Assembly Members Tom Copley and John Biggs checking progress with Crossrail

Last week, I was invited to an event to mark the completion of Crossrail’s Western tunnel in Farringdon.   This was a fascinating trip which brought to life a project which I’d supported from inception and which will undoubdedly reap huge benefits for Londoners.

Boris Johnson today refused to take any leadership to tackle fuel poverty in London. He was questioned at Mayor’s Question Time directly about what measures he has put in place to insulate Londoners from the impact of another round of double-digit price rises by ‘the big six’.  

All of the “big six” energy firms have now announced price rises above inflation for this winter with official figures indicating that London has the highest gas bills in the country. Fuel poverty resulted in 2,800 excess winter deaths in London in 2011/12. 

Murad Qureshi AM, London Assembly Labour Group Environment spokesperson said:

“The Mayor is prepared to defend the super-rich but he won’t show leadership and take the lead in tackling fuel poverty in London. Boris is failing to stand up for vulnerable Londoners and be a Mayor “for all of London”. He has left Londoners at the mercy of the energy rip-off merchants with ineffective programmes and no real strategy to tackle fuel poverty. 

“Londoners are facing a cost of living crisis. Rising energy bills are one of the biggest domestic utility bills Londoners have to pay. Londoners have been let down by a Mayor who pledged to “campaign against the fuel companies who are ripping off the consumer” but has delivered little. 

“The Mayor’s RE:NEW programme is delivering well short of its targets; the Energy Companies continue to drag their feet in delivering Energy Company Obligation (ECO) in the capital and the Green Deal has become a joke with only 57 households having measures installed so far set against a target of insulating 14 million homes by 2020.” 

Ends 

Notes

1. Murad Qureshi is a London Assembly Member and the London Assembly Labour Group Environment spokesperson.
2. Figure of 2,800 excess winter deaths taken from: Office for National Statistics Excess Winter deaths data 2010-12 p. 11, found here: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_288362.pdf
   1. Murad Qureshi AM’s question can be found here: http://www.london.gov.uk/moderngov/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=183&MId=5177
   2. A recording of Mayor’s Question Time can be found here: http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor-assembly/london-assembly/webcasts

Speaking at the London Sustainability Exchange “Cleaner Air for Communities” project

I was glad to join a lunch time session at LSx’s ” Cleaner Air 4 London’s Communities – How can local residents & volunteers across London tackle air pollution” in Manor House, North London.

During the session I essentially made three points. The first is that the recent figures released by the Department of Health do not tally with those from the Mayors office on death rates. Their figures tell us death rates have worsned in 15 out of 33 borough’s in London, with Hillingdon topping the national list of shame for increase in deaths attributable to air pollution. Thus the Department of Health figures do not tally with the Mayor’s claim that emissions of PM10 in London has been reduced by 15 per cent since 2008. Thats not surprising as his figures are based on computer modelling whilst the Dept are real figures.

Secondly the ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) announced by the Mayor is muddled as the Mayor stated at first it would included all vehicles but now suggests it would only include new vehicles. When the ULEZ was announced in Feb 2013 only vehicles allowed into zone would be zero or low emissions giving due notice to consumers and manufacturers as a target of 2020 is set.  Yet more recently he states only new vehicles would be included. Quite honestly the Mayor needs to be honest with Londoners, as he waters down his policy before its even taken off the ground. And by the time ULEZ is in place another 32,000 will have died prematurely.

Finally the rise in the removal of diesel particulate filters (DPF’s) is setting a worrying new trend. The removal of DPFs serious threat to tackling air pollution in London as it becomes popular to have the filters removed as it can be expensive to clean ans replace them. Now we do have new guidance from the Department of Transport making the removing of the DPF’s illegal but its vital that Police,VOSA (Vehicle Operators Service Agency) and Trading Standards work together to tackle growing problem. In the meantime, Berlin has banned the oldest diesel vehicles of all sorts from polluted places nearly four year ago and expect to tighten its standard again in 2015.

I trust these points were useful for the coference to hear over lunch.

London-wide Assembly Member Murad Qureshi AM today called for the London Living Wage (LLW) to be placed on a statutory footing in the capital. It was announced that the LLW will rise next year to £8.80 from its current rate of £8.55. There have been fears that introducing a statutory living wage would lead to unemployment. However, a new report out today challenges this. 

The report, commissioned by Unison, analyses the economic impact of a nation-wide living wage on jobs and growth. It finds that £3.26 billion extra would be generated for the Treasury and a £3.15 billion boost to the economy. These would support jobs and “…aggregate job gains in excess of 7,000 are the most likely outcome of a statutory living wage.” 

New research shows that a resident, living in a two bed home, earning the National Minimum Wage and commuting to work in central London from Hounslow has to spend an estimated 17.9 per cent of their pay on travel and 134.1 per cent on rent, compared with 7.08 per cent and 64.4 per cent in 2008 respectively. 

Labour London-wide Assembly Member Murad Qureshi AM said:

“The London Living Wage has been successful in ensuring thousands of workers in London receive a fair days pay for a fair days work. Today’s report shows that introducing a statutory living wage could lead to an increase in jobs rather than a reduction. I am delighted that there are now plans to introduce measures to encourage more employers to pay a Living Wage through tax incentives. 

“The Mayor must do more to encourage employers to pay the London Living Wage and he can start by making the institutions he is responsible for accredited London Living Wage employers. At the current rate of progress it will take 450 years for all workers to be paid a living wage in London. Londoners are struggling and the Mayor’s inflation-busting fare increases mean that residents earning the National Minimum Wage and travelling to work in zone one have to spend an estimated 17.9 per cent of their pay on travel, and 134.1 per cent on rent.  

“Introducing a statutory living wage could be phased in to help smaller businesses and give people time to prepare. Poverty pay is unacceptable, as is expecting the taxpayer to plug the gap through the benefits system. As today’s report states this policy would lead to an economic win-win, by boosting demand and economic growth, reducing the extent to which benefits prop up poverty pay and reduce earnings inequality. This is a policy whose time has come.” 

Ends 

Notes

1.  Murad Qureshi is a London-wide Assembly Member.
   1. The Landman Economics Report The Economic Impact of Extending the Living Wage to all Employees in the UK commissioned by Unison and published today can be found here: https://www.unison.org.uk/upload/sharepoint/Briefings%20and%20Circulars/Landman%20Economics%20Living%20Wage%20Report%20-%20Final.pdf

The Department of Health released official emissions figures this week that show Westminster is one of the worst ranking boroughs for air pollution, with the highest number of deaths attributable to poor air quality. London-wide Assembly Member Murad Qureshi called on Mayor of London Boris Johnson to stop dithering and urgently tackle air pollution. 

Westminster ranked 15th in London for having the highest levels of dangerous airborne particles PM2.5 in 2011. The Department of Health published the data which shows how death rates are attributable to human-made dangerous airborne particles (PM2.5) in 2011. The statistics were introduced in 2010.  

London wide Assembly Member Murad Qureshi AM said:

“Boris must tackle the poor levels of air pollution in Westminster urgently. Boris needs to bring forward the Ultra Low Emission Zone from its planned implementation date of 2020 and make his mind up on what vehicles this policy will apply to. If this is to work then Londoners and car manufacturers need confidence that this will ever happen and confidence in what vehicles to invest in. Without these assurances this is simply grandiose and hollow rhetoric.  

“Westminster residents have seen air quality worsen between 2010 and 2011 – that means more deaths that are attributable to air pollution from PM 2.5. Westminster is the 15th worst borough in London for air quality. It is shameful that the Mayor’s lack of action on tackling this silent killer is so badly affecting people’s health. 

“The Mayor has consistently dithered on air pollution. Poor air quality causes 4,300 premature deaths a year.  Boris must not put up fares above-inflation to encourage Londoners to use public transport as well as improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians.” 

Ends 

Notes

1. Murad Qureshi AM is a London-wide Assembly Member.
2. The Public Health Outcomes can be found here: http://www.phoutcomes.info/public-health-outcomes-framework#gid/1000043/pat/6/ati/102/page/3/par/E12000007/are/E09000002 and http://www.phoutcomes.info/public-health-outcomes-framework#gid/1000043/pat/6/ati/102/page/4/par/E12000007/are/E09000002
3. Clean Air in London compiled the borough rankings: http://cleanairinlondon.org/health/national-list-of-shame-and-fame-for-air-pollution-deaths/