"My argument is that local authorities were manoeuvred into a position where they had no choice. Our 10 [local authorities] were given a legal direction to clean up the air by 2024 and, like Birmingham, like Bradford, like Portsmouth, they looked at the evidence and the only way they could do it that quickly was by using charges.
"So you are technically right to say the government didn't explicitly say you've got to do it via charges, but they effectively did because of the deadline that they imposed on people. I am conceding to you, the way you put your question is technically right, but I think it's duplicitous of central government to leave local authorities taking all of the blame."
Reading comprehension not your strong suit, or is this pedantry ?