Boris and Congestion Charging

During the campaign for the Supreme Overlord Mayor of London, Boris Johnson's manifesto included promises to make changes to the Congestion Charge (CC).

He said he'd launch a consultation into the extension of the CC into Notting Hill, Kensington and Chelsea, i.e. the posh and rich western bits of central London, as well as scrapping a planned increase of the charge to £25 for the most polluting vehicles and would also have scrapped the resident's discount for driving the most polluting cars.

Red Ken had already put people on notice about the £25 charge, which was due to come into force yesterday, but Boris scrapped it. I don't generally have a problem with a politician sticking to their promises (ID cards excluded); however, I have serious problem with how he's gone about it.

Porsche had launched a legal action against TfL and Red Ken over the £25 charge. Which was due to come to Court; however, due to Boris's decision, it now won't happen and the taxpayer also has to give them, or more accurately their lawyers, £400,000 in legal costs. What's worse it that it creates an appalling precident: if a company complains that something will affect their profitability, e.g. the sales of polluting sports cars, the authorities, instead of seeing them in Court and letting a judge decide, will just cave in! This could be used by companies who feel they're being victimised by employment, pensions or health 'n' safety laws.

Boris has also said he'd launch a consultation into the CC extension, which again I don't have a problem with. The thing I don't understand is that yesterday the second phase of the London-wide Low Emission Zone came into force, which, strangely, Boris supports

"'Londoners and visitors to our great city deserve to breathe air of the highest possible quality; not splutter on a smog of poisonous fumes belching from the exhausts of buses and lorries.

'The majority of lorries that were affected by phase one of the Low Emission Zone have cleaned up their act and meet the necessary standard.

'And I hope that many of the operators affected by phase two will already have followed their example."

Can someone explain how he can be opposed to a congestion charge in one instance, which covers a small area, yet at the same time be in favour of another which covers pretty much the whole of Greater London?