Today's news that the European Commission has declined to extend the UK's deadline for improving air quality has handed Mayor Johnson's political opponents on the Assembly some useful ammunition.
It is only Greater London that puts the UK in the same boat as Poland and Bulgaria. The EU says that all the UK's other air quality zones were "in compliance" last year. The Assembly's Labour, Lib Dem and the Green groups have all rounded on Boris for delaying implementation of the third phase of the Low Emission Zone and united in rubbishing his draft Air Quality Strategy. The latter two parties blame the government too, accusing it of being as guilty as the Mayor of "passing the buck" on the issue. However, Labour's Murad Qureshi also urges action:
Clearly the Government should step in and use their powers of direction. Someone needs to sort this out and Boris simply isn't up to the job. He's all charm and bluster, but the job of Mayor requires a different skill-set from that of a chat show host.
So what will the government do? I'm told it faces a potential fine as high as £300 million as punishment for the capital's delinquency. In the first place, though, it will appeal against the EU's judgment. Doing so entails bringing something new to the table. Defra tells me that "something new" will, in fact, be the Mayor's draft Air Quality Strategy - yes, the very same - which was published too recently to have influenced the EU's deliberations.
And so the beat goes on. Have a low emitting weekend.
