Islington councillor quizzes Sadiq Khan over fossil fuel advertising on London’s transport network

Caroline Russell grills Sadiq Khan. Image: London Assembly (webcast)

Cllr Caroline Russell AM has challenged London mayor Sadiq Khan over fossil fuel-related advertising across the city’s transport network.

Russell, who leads the Greens on the Assembly and on Islington Council, directly questioned the mayor in a tense exchange over Transport for London’s (TfL) advertising policy at Mayor’s Question Time on Thursday.

In a prepared response to Russell’s question, as is standard practice at Mayor’s Question Time, Khan pointed to the strong record on decarbonisation efforts across London’s transport network, including the commitment to a zero-emission bus fleet by 2030.

“I’ve always been clear that fossil-fuel companies should get on board or get left behind.

“TfL maintains a comprehensive and rigorous advertising and copy review process,” he said.

He added that TfL follows, and would continue to follow, guidance from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) to make sure adverts are not “misleading”.

“Advertisers must follow this guidance, and CAP advice must be sought on all advertising related to fossil fuel extraction and environmental claims,” he explained.

But Cllr Russell dismissed these as “excuses”.

“This question is about the actual products that are being advertised on the TfL network,” she said.

“You talked about the ASA and the CAP, all their guidance about whether adverts are misleading or not.

“I’m talking about [the] harm of advertising fossil fuel products, SUVs, flights for holidays — that kind of thing.”

Russell added that in 2019 she raised this issue with the mayor, who at the time said TfL was looking at how it can make sure its advertising space was not being taken up by brands with the worst environmental impact.

“It’s been five years since then — are you going to get TfL to stop running these climate-busting adverts [on its] network?” she asked.

Khan said the network “always” keeps its advertising policy under review, but that rules are different depending on the product or sector.

He raised the fact that TfL was able to restrict adverts for certain products, like foods high in fat, sugar and salt, but Russell saw this as further evidence of inaction.

“Absolutely […] You don’t advertise cigarettes, weapons, authoritarian regimes. Surely you can do the same for climate-busting products like SUVs?”

The mayor stressed that, unlike unhealthy foods and authoritarian regimes,  there were no clear guidelines for fossil fuel-related adverts, which means TfL kept its policy under review.

“Once we have a system where we can make decisions which are clear, of course we’ll try and move. But there isn’t that certainty on this issue,” he said.

Cllr Russell argued that the matter should be taken up by the advertising steering group.

In a press release following the exchange, Russell stated that Khan should face up to London’s “lagging position” on the environment, “particularly when set against the United Nations’ effort to end to fossil fuel advertising”.

She pointed to bans already in place in UK cities like Edinburgh and Sheffield, and even the London Borough of Hackney passing a motion to do so.

“The mayor’s failure to live up to his own environmental standards is more than troubling – it’s an alarming decision I hope to see corrected in the immediate future,” she said.