Dagenham and Rainham has a proud motoring history. We made the most popular car ever driven in Britain. Successive generations of my own family were part of that proud heritage, working in every part of the Ford Dagenham plant. Many of them were even members of the trade unions which once stood so firmly behind the working men and women of Dagenham and Rainham, supporting them as they went about their work.
That proud history has done so much to shape me and my politics today – and that’s why I’m so determined to stand up to modern Labour and its war on working class motorists here in Dagenham and Rainham and across London.
It simply isn’t right that people in our area must accept all the burdens imposed upon them and their use of private vehicles by the Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan and his supporters and backers in our local councils.
The ULEZ expansion has disproportionately targeted working-class aspiration, foisting new costs on small business owners like plumbers, builders, market stool owners, joiners, fitters, electricians, Ice Cream vans, taxis, you name it – all who rely on their mostly non-compliant vehicles to go about their work.
ULEZ is not the only front in this war. Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) have been installed in many areas of Dagenham on streets where they aren’t wanted by residents. My Labour opponent in the General Election here sat in the Cabinet of Barking and Dagenham Council and was personally responsible for them. Now Labour has part-control in Havering Town Hall, who is to say they will not be arriving with a vengeance across Elm Park, South Hornchurch, Beam Park, Rainham and Wennington with her backing too? More restrictions. More fines for non-compliance.
The new Silvertown Tunnel looks set to bring with it new Toll charges not just there but on the existing Blackwall Tunnel too. Anything between £8-£17 a day to cross the river.
Pay-per-mile is actively being explored for future roll-out by Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan. A new super tax on driving anywhere and everywhere within the Greater London boundary. Undoubtedly this will be supported by his proxies here in Dagenham and Rainham should he get a third term in City Hall.
I’m really concerned it won’t end there. If we look at Labour-run Wales, they’ve just implemented a country-wide 20mph default speed limit across the nation. A blueprint for making driving even more difficult across the United Kingdom.
I want to slam the brakes on Labour’s targeting of Motorists and will lead the charge for a screeching U-turn on all these draconian and divisive anti-motoring, anti-hard work, anti-aspiration measures coming to Dagenham and Rainham. With your support, we can put an end to the war on Motorists not just here, but across the United Kingdom.
