Mayor of London asks government to change the scheme of old cars recycling so that they can be given to Ukraine
The Minister of Transport assured that his subordinates would support any steps to this end
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has called on the UK government to change the rules for scrapping cars so that they can be transferred to Ukraine, which will use them to counter Russian aggression, rather than sent for scrap.
Khan, along with former Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, approached Transport Minister Mark Harper with a proposal to change the scheme for recycling old cars in London.
Under the Ulez program, car owners can claim a one-time payment of up to £2,000 if they scrap a car that does not meet the city's new strict emissions standards.
Upon handing in the car, a certificate of destruction is issued. However, according to the rules, handed-in cars can only be sent for scrap.
The mayor of London proposes that the government change the rules for issuing such a certificate and, along with car recycling, provide for the possibility of donating old cars to charity. According to Sadiq Khan, a registered charitable organization could transport them to Ukraine.
Earlier, the British newspaper Daily Telegraph claimed that London Mayor Sadiq Khan had allegedly blocked a plan to send cars intended for scrapping to Ukraine.
Following this publication, the mayor of the British capital was heavily criticized both by the international community and at home.
The London Mayor's office insisted that, according to the law, the mayor has no authority to send cars to Ukraine that have been scrapped. And that he himself was upset by this conflict.
In September, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko sent a letter to Khan asking him to donate the cars to be scrapped to Ukraine.
On Saturday, December 23, Khan offered the government a possible solution.
"This can most likely be done by changing the rules for issuing a certificate of destruction, which is used as proof that a vehicle has been permanently disposed of, and instead allowing the export of suitable vehicles to Ukraine through a registered charity or nationwide scheme," Khan and Wallace said in a joint letter.
In a letter in response to Khan and Wallace, Transportation Secretary Mark Harper said he was "surprised" that it took the mayor so long to ask for such a change.
British Minister of Housing, Communities, Regional Development and Local Government Michael Gove wrote to Khan asking him to "clarify exactly what legal barriers you believe you are facing," Harper added.
The minister noted that his subordinates would support any acceptable options for car exports.
Background. As reported, the Mayor of London refused to transfer cars intended for recycling to Ukraine.
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