Members of the UK’s largest teaching union have voted to accept the government’s 6.5% pay award, bringing to an end protracted strike action in schools in England.
The National Education Union said 86% of members in England who participated in the ballot voted to accept the deal and end the current wave of industrial action, with a turnout of 60%.
The vote brings to a close a long-running pay dispute, as part of which teachers walked out across the country in eight days of strike action, forcing many state schools to either fully or partially close.
The government decided this month to implement a recommendation by the independent School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) for a 6.5% pay increase for teachers in England from September.
The NEU said 14% of members (25,541) who took part in an electronic ballot voted to reject the government’s offer and said they were willing to undertake more extensive strike action, while 86% (154,987) voted to “accept the offer as progress made by our action” and agreed to end the strikes.
The joint NEU general secretaries, Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, said: “As a democratic union, the NEU leadership promised members that any pay and funding offer given by government that warranted their consideration would be put to them. Members have spoken very clearly and in great numbers.
“The NEU submissions to the STRB went a long way towards changing the government’s position on pay and funding. The strike action taken by our members also shifted the dial, securing the highest pay award for more than 30 years. Members should be proud they have also secured extra funding for schools.”
They warned, however, that their campaign for a better-funded education system would not go away and the government should be in no doubt that they would “hold its feet to the fire” on delivering for teachers and support staff on workload and funding.
“It remains the view of the NEU that school and college funding is far from adequate. It remains a commitment of the NEU to campaign for further increases in teacher pay,” they said.
“Everyone in the school and colleges community deserves an education system that attracts and keeps teaching staff, and one that ensures every child gets the attention and support they deserve.”
The Association of School and College Leaders suspended a ballot on strike action after members voted in favour of accepting the government’s offer on teacher pay and funding for 2023-24.
Some teachers expressed concerns that the pay offer would be funded from already straitened school budgets, but the government said the 6.5% award would be “fully funded”, with £525m additional funding for schools in 2023-24 and a further £900m in 2024-25.
Ministers will be hugely relieved at the result. A statutory re-ballot of NEU members in England, which opened in May – preceding the government’s updated offer – to renew the union’s mandate for industrial action came back with a resounding vote in favour, with 95% prepared to take part in more strikes, on a turnout of 53%, comfortably meeting the required legal threshold.
The education secretary, Gillian Keegan, said the ballot result was good news for teachers, parents and pupils. “The deal brings an end to the disruption faced by parents and young people, and means we can focus on what matters most – giving our children a world-class education,” she said.
NEU school support staff members in England also voted to accept the pay offer, with 85% in favour and a turnout of 46%. The NASUWT teachers’ union and the National Association of Head Teachers are expected to announce their response to the pay offer shortly.
Rishi Sunak has defended a planned expansion of oil and gas drilling in the North Sea, claiming it is "entirely consistent" with the government's goal to reach net zero by 2050.
This morning, Number 10 announced plans to grant hundreds of new oil and gas licences off the coast of Scotland to "boost British energy independence" and "reduce reliance on hostile states".
But critics claimed the decision sent "a wrecking ball through the UK's climate commitments", with one Tory MP warning the prime minister would end up "on the wrong side of history" if it went ahead.
Image:The prime minister has approved more North Sea oil and gas projects
The move also puts down a marker between the government and Labour, which has proposed a block on all domestic new oil and gas drilling as part of its strategy to achieve zero-carbon electricity by 2030.
Shadow climate change secretary Ed Miliband accused Mr Sunak of lurching towards "a culture war on climate" to make up for "13 years of failed Tory energy policy".
But ministers have stressed the need to use North Sea fossil fuel resources, especially since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), which is responsible for regulating the oil, gas and carbon storage industries, is currently running the 33rd offshore oil and gas licensing round, and it expects to award more than 100 new licences in the autumn.
However, such moves have prompted alarm from climate campaigners, with the government already facing opposition to any development of Rosebank, 80 miles northwest of Shetland.
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Speaking on a visit to Aberdeenshire, Mr Sunak said using domestic oil and gas saved "two, three, four times the amount of carbon emissions" than "shipping it from halfway around the world", and granting new drilling licences was "entirely consistent with our plan to get to net zero".
Asked specifically whether Rosebank would be approved, he added: "Licensing decisions are obviously made the normal way but what I'd say is that - entirely consistent with transitioning to net zero - that we use the energy that we've got here at home because we're going to need it for decades."
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1:17
Government needs to pursue net zero targets - Lord Deben
The prime minister has also confirmed locations for two new carbon capture usage and storage clusters - with billions expected to be pumped into the schemes.
Carbon capture sees polluting fumes collected to either be used elsewhere or stored underground instead of going into the air, and is viewed as an increasingly important tool in achieving net zero.
The Acorn carbon capture project in North East Scotland - a joint venture between Shell and other firms - and the Viking project in the Humber will be "vital to driving forward and investing in clean technologies that we need to realise our net zero target", Downing Street said.
But while ministers predict the move could support up to 50,000 jobs, the target for the two new sites to be up and running isn't until 2030.
Speaking to broadcasters, Mr Sunak said: "It is really important for everyone to recognise that even in 2050 when we are at net zero, it is forecast that around a quarter of our energy needs will still come from oil and gas - that's why technologies like carbon capture and storage are important.
"But what is important then is we get that oil and gas in the best possible way and that means getting it here at home.
"[It is] better for our energy security, not being reliant on foreign dictators, better for jobs, for example 100,000 supported here in Scotland, but also better for the climate because if we are going to need it, far better to have it here at home."
He added: "Everyone should be excited about the prospect of us leading the world, transitioning to net zero and strengthening our energy security. That's the right balance and that's what I'm delivering as prime minister."
Tories focusing policies on voters it can win - not environmentalists they have lost
Rishi Sunak wants to set a dividing line with Labour.
The prime minister's announcement on hundreds of new North Sea licences in Scotland today comes as the government accuses Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer of risking the "lights going out" with his only policy to ban new drilling.
The PM is pitching himself as being on the side of the people, framing Labour as being in cahoots with Just Stop Oil.
Those claims are obviously far-fetched – Sir Keir has been highly critical of the campaign group – but polling does suggest some environmental policies are unpopular with Conservative voters.
The cost of living and the NHS tend to come top of voter priorities, a YouGov poll for The Times suggests this morning, and seven out of 10 Tory voters are against the 2030 ban on the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles.
The government maintains it is committed to that deadline, and to reaching net zero by 2050, but the language has changed since the Uxbridge by-election.
Mr Sunak is now talking about a "pragmatic and proportionate" approach to net zero.
It's also worth remembering that parts of North East Scotland are important Conservative election battlegrounds - West Aberdeenshire is energy minister Andrew Bowie's seat with just an 800 majority, for example.
A government source told me they believe Number 10 are focusing on votes they can win, not the environmentally-minded who the Conservatives will already have lost.
The PM will hope pledging jobs and investment in the North Sea will chime with the people he wants to listen.
Tory MP Chris Skidmore, who has long campaigned on green issues, was furious at the plans for new drilling licences, tweeting: "This is the wrong decision at precisely the wrong time, when the rest of the world is experiencing record heatwaves."
The former energy minister, who has announced he is stepping down at the next election to focus on the fight for net zero, added: "It is on the wrong side of a future economy that will be founded on renewable and clean industries and not fossil fuels.
"It is on the wrong side of modern voters who will vote with their feet at the next general election for parties that protect, and not threaten, our environment, and it is on the wrong side of history that will not look favourably on the decision taken today.
"Worryingly, this decision has also been announced when MPs are on recess, unable to hold the government to account. I will be writing to the Speaker to call for an emergency debate as soon as we return."
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SNP's Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has said it's important to be conscious of energy security.
Mr Skidmore's sentiment was echoed by WWF UK's Kate White, who said the move would "do nothing to cut household energy bills or shore up our energy security - it will simply line the pockets of the extractive industry while the world burns".
She added: "Our reliance on fossil fuels is not only driving the climate crisis and the extreme temperatures we've seen sweeping southern Europe, it's driving the cost of living crisis and the price of inaction now will be deeper and more expensive cuts later which will be disastrous for the economy and for nature.
"If Rishi Sunak is serious about 'powering up Britain' the solution to the climate crisis and the cost of living crisis is in affordable, clean energy; better insulation for our homes; and restoring our natural world."
The head of Oxfam Scotland, Jamie Livingstone, also called the new licensing rounds a "short-sighted and selfish decision by the UK government" which "flies in the face of climate science and common sense".
He added: "The UN has made clear that we must end our global addiction to fossil fuels, so this decision sends a wrecking ball through the UK's climate commitments."
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Meanwhile, Labour's Mr Miliband questioned whether the prime minister was the right person to make the decisions over future energy security.
He said: "[The PM's] weak and confused policy will not take a penny off bills - as his own party chair has admitted - will do nothing for our energy security and drive a coach and horses through our climate commitments, while continuing to leave us at the mercy of fossil fuel dictators like Putin."
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said it was right to be "conscious of energy security" and keeping the large oil and gas workforce in Scotland employed, calling it a "silly position" to end all drilling.
But speaking to Sky News, he did not give his full support to the new licences, saying Tory plans to "take every single drop" from the North Sea was "a little bit morally bankrupt".
A new green dividing line in politics?
The move comes as both main parties continue to argue over their commitment to key net zero policies and environmental promises.
The Conservatives' narrow victory in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election opened a can of worms within Labour over London Mayor Sadiq Khan's plan to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to outer boroughs - something Sir Keir Starmer blamed for the loss.
The Labour leader and Mr Khan are continuing to hold discussions over the extension, with Sir Keir calling on his colleague to "reflect" on the impact on voters.
But Mr Khan has stood by the decision on the basis it will improve air quality for five million people in London.
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Meanwhile, MPs on the right of the Conservative Party are appealing to the PM to rethink the government's net zero commitments in light of the win, with calls for delays to a number of targets - including putting back the ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035.
Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith - who was among 43 signatories to a letter urging Mr Sunak to look again at the plan - told Sky News the date was "plucked out of nowhere", adding: "If you want to get them to clean emissions, you've got to do it in a way that still keeps our industry going in the UK."
Downing Street has confirmed ministers are scrutinising existing pledges "in light of some of the cost of living challenges".
Asked if his oil and gas policy was just a reaction to the Uxbridge by-election, Mr Sunak said he was "committed to net zero", but added he was "also committed to our energy security and we will get to net zero in a proportionate and pragmatic way that doesn't unnecessarily burden families with costs or hassle that they don't need in their lives right now".
A British man freed by a Cypriot court after being sentenced for killing his seriously ill wife has said he could not find words to describe his release.
David Hunter was convicted of the manslaughter of his wife Janice, 74, in an assisted suicide at their Paphos home in 2021 and jailed for two years.
The ex-miner, 76, from Northumberland, was freed after spending 19 months in custody awaiting trial.
Outside court Hunter thanked his colliery "family" for their support.
He had told the trial his wife had "cried and begged" him to end her life as she suffered from blood cancer.
Family handout
On the steps of Paphos District Court, he told the BBC: "I'd like to say thank you to all the people who've donated to me, and especially my mates and my workmates.
"I don't know where I would be without them."
"When you work in a colliery, you're a family."
Asked how he was feeling, he said: "I can't describe it. I'm sorry. I wish I could, I wish I could find words to describe it, but I can't.
"When you're under pressure for two years, not knowing which way it's going to go."
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His legal team had argued he should be given a suspended sentence, in a case which was a legal first in the country.
They had initially suggested he would be released by 18 August, but prison authorities freed him on Monday after they officially calculated his release date.
In mitigation last week, his defence lawyer Ritsa Pekri said his motive was to "liberate his wife from all that she was going through due to her health conditions".
The court heard it was Mrs Hunter's "wish" to die and that her husband "had only feelings of love for her".
Hunter, who was originally from Ashington, said he would "never in a million years" have suffocated his wife of 52 years unless she had asked him to.
He showed the court how he held his hands over Mrs Hunter's mouth and nose and said he eventually decided to grant her her wish after she became "hysterical".
The court heard he then tried to kill himself by taking an overdose, but paramedics arrived in time to save him.
Family handout
Previously state prosecutor Andreas Hadjikyrou had told the BBC Hunter killed his wife for "selfish motives", adding: "It's himself he was taking care of."
He had told the court Janice died from asphyxiation, telling three judges it was a "horrible death" and her end was "not painless or peaceful".
Prosecutors said Janice still went to the hairdresser every fortnight which, they said, proved she had a social life and took care of herself.
Sentencing Hunter, judge Michalis Droussiotis said the court was "not facing a typical case".
"This is a crime that goes against human life, which is the highest virtue. Taking it is a crime," he said.
"Before us is a unique case of taking human life on the basis of feelings of love, with the aim of relieving the person of their suffering that came due to their illness."
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The couple's daughter, Lesley Cawthorne, from Norfolk, described the past 19 months as a "living nightmare" for the family.
"I thought I'd lost him forever. I cannot believe it. It's amazing. I just didn't think, after the way the case has gone, that this was possible," she said.
"I'm elated and relieved that my darling dad has been released. Today is the start of us being able to rebuild our lives.
"Dad's release also means we can finally grieve for my mum and I hope everyone can respect our privacy whilst we take the time to come to terns with her loss.
"So many people have worked hard and supported our efforts to bring my dad home, too many to mention but you know who you are and you know you have our deepest gratitude."
'Loving relationship'
After talking to her father over the phone, Ms Cawthorne added: "Speaking to my daddy was the most amazing thing. I feel like my heart has been put back together."
She said she believes that, rather than returning to the UK immediately, her father will stay in Cyprus so he can visit his wife's grave and "say his goodbyes properly".
Mrs Hunter is buried a short distance away from the couple's former home in Tremithousa - a quiet village about three miles from the coastal town of Paphos.
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Michael Polak from Justice Abroad, which has been representing Hunter, said the sentencing had not been straightforward "given that a case like this has never come before the courts of Cyprus before".
He added his client's release was "everything we were hoping for".
"He was facing a charge of premeditated murder, which carries a life sentence which would have resulted in [him] dying in prison here in Cyprus. Then two weeks ago he was found guilty of manslaughter," he said.
"The judge gave a very balanced view of the case [today], talking about the sanctity of life but also speaking about the particular circumstances of this case.
"They'd been together for over 50 years. It was a loving relationship.
"When you've got someone there asking you to end their life because they're in so much pain, to make that decision must have been immensely difficult.
"It's a decision that we all hope we're never going to have to make in our own lives."
A plea deal, which would have seen Hunter admit manslaughter, was agreed with prosecutors in November but the murder trial went ahead after a U-turn by Cypriot authorities.
14-year-old boy who was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after a seven-year-old died following a motorbike collision has been released on bail “with strict conditions”, police said.
The girl was found with critical injuries and was taken to Birmingham Children’s Hospital but later died.
Officers said they have found two abandoned motorbikes which will now be forensically examined.
Detective Sergeant Paul Hughes, from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Our work to establish the facts around this tragic incident is continuing.
“We have recovered two motorbikes and they will now be forensically examined as part of those extensive inquiries.
“And at this awful time our thoughts remain with the family of Katniss, who are being supported and have asked to be left to grieve in private.”
Flowers, balloons and stuffed toys were left at the scene of the crash on Friday.
Dozens of bunches of brightly-coloured bouquets paid tribute to the girl, with one reading: “I will remember your beautiful soul forever. Thinking and praying for your family.”
Another said: “Rest in peace beautiful girl.”
A steady stream of emotional people had been visiting the scene to add their own tributes and comfort each other.
In a Facebook post, her mother said that her “heart is bleeding”, adding: “God took her away too young and fragile.
“I don’t have strength and I don’t want to say goodbye to you, my star.
“How to let you go, my heart is bleeding, my soul is aching.”
Mr Hughes said: “I would also like to extend my thanks to all those people who have already come to us with information, it is truly appreciated.
“We would ask again that anyone who was at the scene does still come forward, as what they know may be valuable to our ongoing investigation.”
A teenager has died in hospital after a double stabbing in Lancashire.
Emergency services were unable to save the 19-year-old after the attack in Ormskirk town centre just after midnight.
Another 19-year-old has also been taken to hospital but he is not thought to have life-threatening injuries.
Two men have been arrested, also both 19, on suspicion of affray and they remain in custody.
A spokesperson from Lancashire constabulary said officers were called to Railway Road in the town centre at 12.05am Saturday after reports of an “ongoing disturbance” involving “a number of males”.
They said: “A 19-year-old man from Liverpool and a 19-year-old man from Maghull have been arrested on suspicion of affray. They remain in custody at this time.
“A significant area within the town centre has been secured as a crime scene.”
Anyone with information or footage is asked to call 101.
Two abandoned motorbikes have been recovered by police investigating the death of a seven-year-old girl in a hit-and-run crash in Walsall.
A 14-year-old-boy arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving has been released on conditional bail.
Katniss Selezneva was struck by a motorbike just after 7pm on Thursday at Turnstone Road in Blakenall.
She was found with critical injuries and taken to Birmingham Children's Hospital where she later died.
Det Sgt Paul Hughes, from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: "Our work to establish the facts around this tragic incident is continuing.
"We have recovered two motorbikes and they will now be forensically examined as part of those extensive enquiries. And at this awful time our thoughts remain with the family of Katniss, who are being supported and have asked to be left to grieve in private.
"I would also like to extend my thanks to all those people who have already come to us with information - it is truly appreciated.
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"We would ask again that anyone who was at the scene does still come forward, as what they know may be valuable to our ongoing investigation."
Katniss's mother Tsvetelina Selezneva paid tribute to her "angel" in a Facebook post.
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"God took her away too young and fragile. I don't have strength and I don't want to say goodbye to you, my star," she wrote.
Image:Police tape on Turnstone Road
"How to let you go, my heart is bleeding, my soul is aching. Who will take care of you now up there my angel! I'm powerless, words are not enough, no consolation!"
She said her daughter had told her every day "I love you mom, you are the best mother".
Addressing her daughter, Ms Selezneva wrote: "Your dad was calling you - 'open your eyes Katniss, dad is here, open them' - but you closed them forever!"
Flowers, balloons and stuffed toys were left at the scene of the crash on Friday.
Image:Flowers are left on Turnstone Road
Dozens of bunches of brightly-coloured bouquets paid tribute to the girl, with one reading: "I will remember your beautiful soul forever. Thinking and praying for your family."
A senior Conservative MP has urged ministers to change prison compensation rules after it emerged a man who wrongly spent 17 years in jail may have money deducted from his payout.
Andrew Malkinson, 57, was cleared of a rape he did not commit. He called the current rules "kind of sick".
Under existing rules, savings made on living costs while in prison can be deducted from compensation.
Sir Bob Neill said: "Any fair-minded person thinks this is just wrong."
The government has no plans for any changes but keeps all laws under review.
The rules date back to a decision made in 2007 by the House of Lords.
It said that money could be deducted from compensation for "saved living expenses". This refers to costs the prisoner would have incurred if they had not been locked up, such as food and accommodation, according to a House of Commons briefing paper.
Sir Bob, who is chairman of the Justice Select Committee, said that at the time the decision was made, it was thought that taxpayers would be offended at paying money to someone who was freed on a technicality.
He said Mr Malkinson, however, was not cleared on a technicality, but on DNA evidence.
"This was a serious miscarriage of justice," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
"It's clearly not right that somebody who was deprived of their liberty, because of the failures of the state and its institutions for a number of years, then should pay the state or be obliged to give some money back to the state, for the privilege of having been wrongly incarcerated.
"That surely offends any any kind of sense of justice," he added.
He said he would like ministers to change the rules to protect those wrongly convicted from paying such costs.
"The sums involved are trivial in the overall scheme of things," he said.
The maximum payment in cases where someone has been in jail for more than 10 years is £1m.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "This was a deeply troubling case and we recognise the pain of any individual punished for a crime they did not commit - which is why we continue to support the work of the independent Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).
"It is only right victims of miscarriages of justice can apply for compensation and that all requests are properly assessed independent of government."
In 1997, convictions against cousins Vincent and Michael Hickey for the murder of Carl Bridgewater at a farm near Stourbridge in 1978 were found to be fundamentally flawed.
Michael Hickey was subsequently awarded £1.02m and Vincent Hickey £550,000 but, in each case, a 25% deduction was made from the part of their compensation that reflected loss of earnings while in prison.
This was because of living expenses they did not have to pay while in prison.
On the programme, criminal defence lawyer Matthew Ryder KC described the difficulties of getting the Court of Appeal to consider cases of possible wrongful conviction.
He said two Parliamentary committees had found the CCRC needed to be "less hesitant" about referring cases to the Court of Appeal.
"We've got to get ourselves in a position where if there's a risk of injustice, a risk of someone like an innocent man staying in custody for a very long time when their cases should be considered, we've got to find a mechanism where those cases get considered by the Court of Appeal," he said.
Police investigating the death of a seven-year-old girl in a hit-and-run in Walsall say they have found two abandoned motorbikes, while a 14-year-old boy arrested over the incident has been released on bail.
The discovery came after Katniss Seleznev’s mother, Tsvetelina Selezneva, spoke of her devastation at her daughter’s death, saying her “soul is aching” after losing her “star”.
The child was found with critical injuries and was taken to Birmingham children’s hospital, but later died. The 14-year-old boy was arrested by West Midlands police officers on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
Paying tribute to Katniss in a Facebook post, her mother said that her “heart is bleeding”. She said: “God took her away too young and fragile. I don’t have strength and I don’t want to say goodbye to you, my star. How to let you go, my heart is bleeding, my soul is aching.”
On Saturday, Det Sgt Paul Hughes, from the force’s serious collision investigation unit, said: “Our work to establish the facts around this tragic incident is continuing.
“We have recovered two motorbikes and they will now be forensically examined as part of those extensive enquiries. And, at this awful time, our thoughts remain with the family of Katniss, who are being supported and have asked to be left to grieve in private.
“I would also like to extend my thanks to all those people who have already come to us with information – it is truly appreciated. We would ask again that anyone who was at the scene does still come forward, as what they know may be valuable to our ongoing investigation.”
Flowers, balloons and stuffed toys were left at the scene of the crash on Friday.
Dozens of bunches of brightly coloured bouquets paid tribute to the girl, with one reading: “I will remember your beautiful soul for ever. Thinking and praying for your family.” Another says: “Rest in peace beautiful girl.”
A steady stream of people have been visiting the scene to add their own tributes and comfort each other.
The judge, Mr Justice Swift, said the mayor's expansion decision "was within his powers".
He wrote: "Having carefully considered the decision published for the purposes of consultation, I'm satisfied sufficient information was provided to permit this wanting to respond to the consultation to provide informed responses.
"I'm further satisfied that when taking the decision on the grant to meet the cost of the vehicle scrappage scheme, the mayor understood the likely provision that would be made.
"While the consultation conducted was not in-depth, it was lawful."
When and where will Ulez be extended?
The Ulez currently covers the area between the North and South Circulars, but this judgment means it will be spread across Greater London from the end of August.
When it was first introduced in 2019, the zone covered the Congestion Charge area in central London, then was enlarged in October 2021.
The new borders of the zone will reach Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey.
City Hall has claimed that 90% of cars seen driving in outer London complied with Ulez standards which has been backed by the UK Statistics Authority, although the watchdog criticised the mayor over data transparency.
Mr Khan said: "The decision to expand the Ulez was very difficult and not something I took lightly and I continue to do everything possible to address any concerns Londoners may have.
"This unambiguous decision today in the High Court allows us to press on with the difficult but vital task of cleaning up London's air and tackling the climate crisis."
On Wednesday, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer urged the mayor to reflect on the expansion in the wake of a by-election victory for the Conservatives in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, which he said was due to the "impact it's having on people".
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The action was launched by February by the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Harrow and Hillingdon, as well as Surrey County Council.
Tim Oliver, leader of Surrey Council, said: "Whilst we respect today's court decision, it is incredibly disappointing."
Bromley Council leader, Colin Smith, said: "To the legion of families who will now have to trade in perfectly good cars at significant cost they can't really afford, for a newer vehicle they don't want or need, I can only say sorry.
"We've tried our very hardest to protect you but ultimately, today's judgement does mean that the mayor has taken another step closer to getting his way."
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Harrow, Surrey and Bromley, which spent £32,000 contesting the expansion, have confirmed they will not appeal the court's decision.
Air pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide, can cause and worsen respiratory problems like asthma, and can affect those with heart conditions, according to multiple scientific studies.
Dr Anna Moore, a respiratory doctor working at a London hospital, called Ulez a health policy which was "going to improve the health of millions of Londoners".
She said: "I see patients suffer from the effects of toxic air week in and week out. There is no organ in the body which is not harmed by air pollution."
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Nicholas Lyes, head of roads policy at the RAC, said: "While the principle of cleaning up London's air is the right one, it has come at a time where drivers can ill afford to replace their vehicles during a cost-of-living crisis.
"This is being made by worse by new evidence which shows drivers are having to pay far more than they should have to purchase a compliant vehicle on the second-hand car market."
Steve Tuckwell, the newly elected MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, said: "Uxbridge and South Ruislip sent mayor Sadiq Khan a clear message last week - halt your Ulez expansion.
"Londoners cannot go on being ignored by the Labour Party, who are making the choice to expand Ulez, saddling families and businesses with a £4,500 a year charge - a tax on carers, parents, patients, sole traders and all hard-working Londoners."
