Orpington’s MP has joined Conservative calls for Sadiq Khan to drop his proposal to introduce a daily charge for motorists entering Greater London.

During a Parliamentary debate on the Boundary Charge, Gareth Bacon warned that the £3.50 toll would hurt Orpington’s businesses and public services.

The daily fee would raise an estimated £500 million a year, going some way to improving TfL’s finances, which have been decimated by the pandemic.

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Speaking in the House of Commons, Gareth Bacon MP said: “The proposal by Sadiq Khan to impose an Outer London boundary tax is one of the silliest ideas he has come up with in the past five years.

“The proposal would deliver a hammer blow to Outer London’s businesses. They rely on suppliers and customers driving into the area to shop and work. It will jeopardise people’s livelihoods and our recovery.

“And it’s not just those working in or using our local businesses. This will hit those who provide our public services. 51% of Metropolitan Police officers live outside Greater London. So do 52% of London firefights.

“They work shifts and very often have to drive to work. So do almost 3,000 - more than one if five - of the staff at King’s College NHS Trust.

“A headteacher told me it could impact 40% of their teaching and leadership staff and would profoundly affect recruiting and retaining staff in Greater London boroughs.”

A YouGov opinion poll commissioned by City Hall Conservatives found that 54 per cent on London-based respondents opposed the idea of a £3.50 boundary charge, with just 32 per cent expressing support.

The Conservatives have called on Sadiq Khan to scrap the proposal, which would see drivers with vehicles registered outside London having to pay once they enter outer boroughs such as Bromley and Bexley, describing it as a “terrible act of self-harm.”

Khan has called on Government to instead allow TfL to keep the £500million raised annually from vehicle excise duty charged to London-based drivers.

Despite being collected from drivers in London, ministers largely spend the money on other parts of the country, Khan has argued.

In addition to raising vital funds, Mr Khan believes charging drivers to enter London could have significant benefits in terms of managing congestion, cutting emissions and encouraging people to use sustainable modes of transport.