False claims in tweets about Ulez plans cause concern at London mayor’s office

The expansion of the London ultra-low emission zone has increasingly become a focus for social media abuse of the mayor, Sadiq Khan. Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian

Sadiq Khan’s office has expressed concern after false and racially oriented social media messages about London’s ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) were viewed hundreds of thousands of times without being taken down.

The concern over the tweets, which falsely claim the London mayor plans to exempt Muslims and other “minority religions” from the charge, came after analysis that indicated there could be a paid-for campaign using fake accounts on X, formerly known as Twitter, to amplify anti-Ulez sentiment.