Andy Burnham clashed with an angry caller during a heated radio debate today over the controversial Clean Air Zone. The mayor of Greater Manchester was accused of 'lies and deflection' after claiming on the radio that he did not call for Clean Air Zone charges before becoming mayor.
During his campaign to become the mayor of Greater Manchester in 2017, Mr Burnham demanded powers from the government to create a Clean Air Zone. However, Mr Burnham now claims he was calling for a non-charging scheme.
The controversial scheme, which was set to come into force in May, is currently under review with local leaders now calling for no vehicles to be charged at all. It comes after the government agreed to pause the plans to charge the most highly polluting vans, lorries, buses and taxis following a huge public backlash.
