Regeneration chief Councillor Danny Beales says he will continue at the Town Hall

CAMDEN’S regeneration chief is set to return to the council chamber after a surprise defeat in a parliamentary by-election to the Tories.

Danny Beales was due to be paraded as the new MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip at a Labour Party policy conference in Nottingham on Saturday, but instead he reportedly stood up and blasted London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s plans to expand pollution charges to outer boroughs, describing it as “bad policy”.

The Mayor has now been asked to “reflect” on his ULEZ (Ultra Low Emissions Zone) strategy after it was blamed for Cllr Beales’ failure to take a seat he had been widely-expected to win.

The bookmakers listed his odds at 1/20 and Labour activists – including nearly all of the Labour group from Camden – had poured into the constituency to hammer home the victory.

Some residents said they had been “knocked up” four or five times in an all-out campaign to take the seat held by former prime minister Boris Johnson until his Partygate shame led to him being forced to step down.

Labour saw a healthy swing in its share of the vote and came within 495 of taking the seat for the first time.

But despite the narrow margin and only a small minority of drivers with the most-polluting cars likely to have to pay the ULEZ charge, the party is reviewing where it stands on the issue.

The existing inner London zone has been credited with helping to see a reduction in air pollution.

Cllr Beales said at Labour’s policy event that the charging system had been a “dead weight” to his campaign and seen as a “grotesque unfairness” to people who would ­otherwise have voted Labour.

“This isn’t complicated,” he said. “You cannot tell working people you are laser-focused on the cost of living, on the difficulties facing them, on making life easier and then also penalise them, simply for driving their car to work. ULEZ is bad policy.”

Mr Khan, who is himself up for election next year, is set to roll out the scheme next month. Green councillor

Sian Berry said this week: “I’m really concerned that Keir Starmer isn’t good at politics because it’s outrageous throwing the Mayor of London under the bus for a policy [ULEZ] he spent many years staking his political reputation on – that’s not good leadership.”

In neighbouring Westminster, meanwhile, where Labour has been in control since a historic council election victory last May, councillors have written to the party leadership asking for the policy to be protected.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan is pressing on with the ULEZ expansion

On election day, Cllr Beales voted in the constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip, meaning his official permanent address is now in Hillingdon rather than Camden – as it is illegal to rent somewhere just for the purposes of taking part in an election.

Councillors do not have to step down if they do not live in the borough, however, if they retain a work connection – which precedent has shown can include service as a councillor. Cllr Beales has one of the biggest remits at the Town Hall under the regeneration brief and he sits on the council’s planning committee.

Asked if he would be staying on at the council yesterday (Wednesday), he said: “I’m still a Camden councillor and will continue to be and have been completing my casework and other responsibilities.”

The Tories in Camden had tried to heap pressure on Cllr Beales by proposing a motion against the ULEZ at last week’s full council meeting – but it was not debated.

Group leader Councillor Gio Spinella said he hoped Cllr Beales would “take some time off to recover from what must be a hard blow” and that he wished him well.

But he added Labour was too “complacent” when forcing policies on people – citing both the ULEZ and the O2 development scheme in Swiss Cottage.