Sadiq Khan has pledged to send 4x4s and other vehicles to Ukraine that would otherwise be scrapped under the Ulez scheme.
The mayor of London has asked the transport secretary, Mark Harper, to enable people to donate suitable vehicles to Ukraine through scrappage schemes.
The mayor had previously made it clear he did not believe altering the scheme for exporting vehicles would be possible under current laws.
Under the Ulez scrappage scheme, which came into force in August, people in London with vehicles that fall foul of emission standards can claim up to £2,000 when their non-compliant vehicles are scrapped.
The letter, jointly sent to Harper by Khan and the former defence secretary Ben Wallace, urged him to give motorists “money for taking polluting vehicles off our cities’ streets while providing vital support towards the people of Ukraine”.
“We understand there is a particular requirement for 4×4 vehicles, as well as emergency service vehicles,” it added.
Both Khan and Wallace said they had reached their conclusion following “conversations with the Mayor’s Office in Kyiv and other partners”.
In a letter in response, the transport secretary said he was “surprised” it had taken so long for the mayor to request the move given the Ulez scheme had operated since August.
He said the communities secretary, Michael Gove, had written to Khan “seeking clarity from you on precisely what legal barriers you believe you face”.
He added in the letter that once the further information has been provided his officials will “of course be ready to support in identifying options to resolve this matter”.
The Telegraph reported in September that Kyiv’s mayor, the former boxer Vitali Klitschko, had written to his London counterpart to suggest the idea as part of the scrappage scheme.
