Dozens of Labour Party branches/constituencies throughout London call on Sadiq Khan to cancel the Silvertown Tunnel

• 28 motions calling for Sadiq Khan to cancel the Silvertown Tunnel have been passed in 20 branch and 8 constituency parties across London (notes, p.3)

• Report claims Silvertown Tunnel “incompatible with the targets for climate action associated with the 2015 Paris accords” (1)

• Campaigners have also discovered that TfL will have to pay almost £200m in direct capital costs, despite claims there will be no immediate cost. (2)

• Several Labour MPs, including Matthew Pennycook, Shadow Minister for Climate Change, and 4 London Labour councils have called on Khan to cancel the project. (notes, p.3)

• LGND spokesperson: “Building a massive road tunnel with a dedicated lane for lorries can never be part of a credible Labour policy on fighting climate change.”

Following a campaign by SE Labour for a Green New Deal (SE London LGND) Labour Party members across London have mobilised against the proposed Silvertown Tunnel road crossing in East London. 

Since January LGND activists have helped pass motions in dozens of Branch and Constituency Labour Parties across London calling on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to cancel the Tunnel. Activists expect even more motions to be passed ahead of the London Mayoral Election, due to take place on 6 May 2021. 

Contrary to claims by TFL and the GLA, research by a coalition of groups claims, with reference to research by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change, that the Tunnel will generate more traffic, and release more dangerous particulate matter in areas of London that are already the most polluted in the country. It would also make it almost impossible for London to meet its Paris Accord carbon reduction targets (1). 

Several London Labour MPs, including Matthew Pennycook, MP for Greenwich and Woolwich, who is also Shadow Minister for Climate Change, have called for the Mayor of London to cancel the project before construction work begins. Other London Labour MPs to call on Khan to cancel the Tunnel include: Abena Oppong-Asare, Lyn Brown and John McDonnell, as well as 4 London Labour councils and dozens of Labour councillors across London. (notes, p.3)

Labour for a Green New Deal (LGND) – a network of Labour Party activists organising across the UK for a socialist Green New Deal – has thrown its weight behind the Silvertown Tunnel campaign. 

LGND spokesperson and Labour councillor, Lauren Townsend, says – 

“Building a massive road tunnel with a dedicated lane for lorries can never be part of a credible Labour policy on fighting climate change. Party activists across London are calling on Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan to cancel this polluting project before it’s too late.” 

SE London LGND campaigner, Izzy Hickmet, teacher and a local resident, says – 

“Sadiq Khan made the right decision when he cancelled Johnson’s vanity project, the so-called Garden bridge. Now Labour members all over London are urging him to think again on the Silvertown Tunnel – which is another Johnson project. Sadiq Khan has a prime opportunity to show his green credentials in action. Given that Sadiq Khan has done so much to try to lower air pollution in the capital, it is puzzling that he’s backing a project that will negate the good work he has done so far. 

“As Labour campaigners, we are concerned that the party cannot be credible on green issues if its representatives at the London level are pushing a polluting tunnel with a dedicated HGV lane. It just doesn’t make sense and would be tragic if this was Labour’s legacy – to be paid for in health consequences and damage to the environment for decades to come.” 

SE London Labour for a Green New Deal (@lgndselondon) / Twitter

More information: 

● In 2019 the Mayor of London awarded a PFI contract to build the Silvertown Tunnel, despite huge opposition from local residents, environmental groups, CLPs, Labour councils, and prominent Labour MPs. See cross-party community coalition Stop the Silvertown Tunnel. 

● The estimated cost of the project has now more than tripled, from original estimate of £600m to £2 billion, and may increase even further as major construction work has not even begun.

● The tunnel will enable HGVs to cross the river into London’s most polluted borough, passing dozens of schools and nurseries where 10,000s children play and learn. 

● Research from the Tyndall Centre shows that London’s transport policy is currently incompatible with the rapid decarbonisation required to reach targets aligned with the Paris agreement, and the tunnel would only make matters worse. TfL will be reliant on

high traffic revenue from tolling the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels to repay PFI financing at a time when reducing car usage is crucial. (1) 

● The motion and supporting information can be accessed via this link 

● Activists from South East London LGND are available for comment and interview ● Contact: Izzy Hickmet [email protected] 07405480324 

List of Branch Labour Party (CLP) calling for a cancellation

List of Constituency Labour Party (CLP) calling for a cancellation

List of Labour Councils calling for a cancellation

Hackney

Newham

Lewisham

Southwark

(1) ‘The Silvertown Tunnel is in a hole, so STOP DIGGING’ report by Transport Action Network, Stop the Silvertown Tunnel Coalition, Speak Out Woolwich and Extinction Rebellion Greenwich, published in June 2020 

https://transportactionnetwork.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Stop-Digging-Report.pdf

(2)  TfL Programme and Investment committee, 3 March 2021

https://tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/pic-20210303-agenda-and-documents-public-updated.pdf

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