The Mayor of London has promised new green jobs, should he be re-elected as Mayor.
Sadiq Khan promised to support over 170,000 new jobs in the event of his re-election next month.
This formed part of a Manifesto that included a pledge for a £50 million Green New Deal.
Speaking at the Bloomberg building in the capital today, Mr Khan spoke about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the need to bounce back.
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He said: “The pandemic has had a devastating impact on London, but I know that a brighter future lies ahead and together we can rebuild a fairer, greener and more prosperous city.”
“If re-elected, a top priority will be jobs, jobs, jobs.
“Good, high-quality jobs for Londoners in future-proof sectors such as the green economy, which allow us to tackle the climate emergency alongside the looming unemployment crisis.”
The plan for green jobs would include creating 3,000 new jobs in electrifying the city’s bus fleet, 4,400 jobs in solar energy and 17,000 in district energy.
He also pledged that London would become a carbon-neutral city by 2030, and he aims to ensure that London’s transport system becomes “the world’s greenest”.
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Conservative candidate Shaun Bailey responded to Mr Khan’s proposals by saying: “In 2016, he pledged thousands of new jobs. He delivered just 109. He promised to be the most pro-business Mayor ever, yet he hiked the congestion charge in the middle of a pandemic.
“I’ll take practical action to clean up the environment with a zero-emission bus fleet by 2025. And I’ll reverse the congestion charge hike on day one, helping to cut bills for workers and job-creators.”
