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Satirical article about Sadiq Khan slapping Red Arrows with ULEZ charge provokes outrage on social media

A (quite obviously) satirical article about Sadiq Khan imposing a ULEZ charge on the red arrows has provoked fury amongst right-wingers.

The King and Queen appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony on Saturday to watch a military flypast as the RAF’s Red Arrows display team trailed red, white and blue smoke over the crowds gathered on The Mall and outside the palace.

More than 60 aircraft from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force had been due to take part in the flypast, but “unsuitable weather conditions” meant that plan had to be abandoned.

Instead, helicopters from the three services and the Red Arrows took part in the display which lasted for around two-and-a-half minutes.

The King and Queen smiled and waved to the crowds as the aircraft flew overhead.

But not everyone was happy about the stunt.

A satirical news piece was widely shared among right-wingers shortly after the flypast that claimed London mayor Khan was considering imposing a ULEZ charge on the red arrows.

The Upper Lip shared phony comments from Khan, who was reported to have defended his decision, stating that “nobody should be above the law – even if they’re above the ground!”

Benny Jetstream, a die-hard fan of the Red Arrows, expressed his frustration at the move, saying: “This is absolutely ludicrous! The Red Arrows are a symbol of British excellence and military prowess. They’re not some old, smoke-belching clunkers that pollute the air. It’s like charging Santa Claus for reindeer emissions!”

Several right-wingers shared the piece, including journalist Dickie Arbiter and former Brexit MEP Martin Daubney.

Oh dear, chaps!

Related: Coronation crowd blasted for ‘trashing’ the streets

Jack Peat

Jack is a business and economics journalist and the founder of The London Economic (TLE). He has contributed articles to VICE, Huffington Post and Independent and is a published author. Jack read History at the University of Wales, Bangor and has a Masters in Journalism from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

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