Labour council applied for exemption from Sadiq Khan's controversial ULEZ ... trends now

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A Labour council was accused of hypocrisy after backing Sadiq Khan's controversial expansion of London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) - then asking for an exemption for its own 400 vehicles.

Hounslow council deputy leader Katherine Dunne wrote to the London mayor last summer raising concerns that it would not be able to make all its vehicles ULEZ compliant by the August 2023 deadline.

The council is one of 16 outer London boroughs that have supported the mayor's plans to expand the zone, and already has 37 ULEZ cameras installed on its streets.

But failing to meet the compliance rules - which include facing a daily charge of £12.50 if driving within the specified area without meeting the emissions standards - would place further pressure on the authority's budgets, Miss Dunne argued.

She said in the letter, obtained by The Daily Telegraph: 'We have already invested in their replacement, yet supply chain challenges mean the earliest likely date for vehicle delivery is 2023-24.