Race becomes green battle

The environment was on centre stage in the mayoral race today when the Green Party and Labour announced their plans for a cleaner capital as the disaster movie The Day After Tomorrow is released.

The film predicts flooding and destruction caused by climate change. To coincide with its launch the Greens announced a raft of policies - including extending the congestion charge zone to cover the whole of London and a five-year freeze on bus and Tube fares.

Ken Livingstone revealed his own green pledges, such as more renewable energy to power the Underground and solar panels for new homes. Other plans announced by the Labour candidate include turning the capital into a low-emission zone and providing free energy-saving light bulbs to most homes.

The Greens hope to build on the success of the 2000 elections, when they won three seats on the London assembly.

Party activists will leaflet cinemas across the city tonight in a bid to seize on public reaction to The Day After Tomorrow.

Darren Johnson, the party's candidate for mayor, said: "The single most positive thing you can do after seeing this film is to go out and vote Green on 10 June."

Under the Greens' plans, the congestion charge would be expanded to include a £4-a-day outer zone stretching from the city centre to the M25. Local residents would only pay 40p to drive within their borough.

London's £1.2billion roadbuilding budget would be scrapped overnight and the money used to fund a freeze on fares, more cycle lanes and an extension of the Travelcard to river buses. Canals would be used to take freight off the roads and 1,000 new allotments would be created.

Mr Livingstone pledged to cut energy use by business in the capital and reduce emissions from cars and lorries. He said: "As The Day After Tomorrow shows, climate change is not a side issue but one that is of concern in the mainstream of topical debate. There is a clear choice between these policies and those of Steve Norris, who barely mentions the environment and wants to abolish the congestion charge."