Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has told broadcasters this morning he has not decided whether to run for a fourth term. When asked by Sky News and the BBC, Khan said: “Ask me again in a year’s time.” Delay, delay…
As of June last year the line was: “Sadiq hasn’t decided yet if he’s standing again at the next mayoral election… this is the same as the last election cycle when he didn’t announce his decision until much later in the mayoral term.” Khan announced his intention to stand for a third term in January 2022 – 28 months before the election in May 2024. It is now 28 months until the next mayoral election in May 2028. Khan’s self-declared deadline has passed…
Khan is already the only Mayor to serve three terms. Last time he was asked in September he implied he was leaning towards running again. Is he waiting for the offer from some jumped-up UN climate body before he decides…
Sadiq Khan has jetted off to Brazil this week to boast about how clever he is and complain about having “one hand tied behind [his] back” by a Labour government that hasn’t sufficiently backed his green agenda. To prove this point, he has flown around 5,750 miles to Rio de Janeiro, for a total round trip of 11,500 miles…
Ahead of the C40 World Mayors Summit, which Khan is set to co-chair this year, the Mayor of London said:
“I can’t understand how we’ve lost the art and ability to explain to people what we’re doing… [The public] can smell somebody who’s inauthentic. And I think you should be authentic. People respect somebody if you’re authentic. There are people who voted for me in the last mayoral election who may not agree with ULEZ but they respect the fact that I have got good intentions, but I also explained to them why we’re doing the ultra low emissions zone, the fact that in London we’ve got thousands of premature deaths…”
He went on to say the cabinet should be more enthusiastic about net zero and “it can’t just be the Ed Miliband show.“ For an entourage of five, the total greenhouse gas emissions pumped out for this trip will be around 27.7 tonnes…
Keir Starmer has said he believes the ‘from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ chant is antisemitic, putting him directly at odds with the Mayor of London. Who less than a week ago insisted “it was all about context”…
Asked by the Jewish Chronicle today whether he considered the chant antisemitic, however, Starmer said:
“Yes… I take a strong view on this, and we’ve dealt with cases in my own party where people have used that expression and we’ve taken action against them… I’m not just saying it to you here today. That is the history, that is the record that I have as leader of my party.”
Maybe worth having a conversation with Sadiq about all this…
Sadiq Khan has launched an urgent survey asking for feedback on potential policies which could appear in London’s ‘Heat Risk Delivery Plan’. One option on offer to City Hall respondents is “flexible working hours to avoid peak heat times”, even though the building has air conditioning. It’s 27 degrees and cloudy, time to down tools…
A statement at the start of this vital survey says:
“London’s climate is changing, and our summers could get hotter and drier. We’ve already seen heatwaves this summer. And remember the summer of 2022, when temperatures exceeded 40C in London? City Hall is working with partners on a delivery plan to better prepare London for rising temperatures and extreme heat events.”
The full ‘Heat Risk Delivery Plan’ itself will arrive in the spring, ahead of any deadly sunshine Londoners have to suffer through next summer. They’re also laying the groundwork for “public awareness campaigns encouraging people to reduce high heat activities” like driving. No need to make that commute if your boss is letting you enjoy a Cornetto from your sofa…
Back in February Sadiq Khan was loudly fretting over working from home “hollowing out” the capital, warning that London “cannot afford” to become a city where the centre is deserted because of so-called “flexible working.” Naturally he blamed employers and private sector train operators for the trend…
The London mayor urged employers to bring staff back to the office, complaining that fare revenue from TfL was falling because of home workers. If only he practised what he preached…
A new FOI request reveals that the Greater London Authority doesn’t “record staff attendance specifically” and can provide no detail on which staff have turned up to the office in the past two years. Instead, they vaguely claim staff are “expected” to show up two to three days a week, touting their “hybrid working policy” that “seeks to support staff in balancing their work and home life, and that includes the position on remote working.” Khan’s own managing style has led to a revolt from every single London council leader. Can’t be too much fun in the office these days…
In a brutal blow to Sadiq Khan’s grip on London, all 32 borough leaders – Labour, Tory, LibDem, and Independent – have united to demand a share of his powers, calling for a radical shake-up of the Mayor’s dominance. They want to use the English Devolution Bill to strip Khan of his total control, calling for a ‘Combined Board’ to establish joint decision-making arrangements between the Mayor and council leaders. A sign of just how unpopular Khan really is…
This is the biggest intervention on the Mayor of London’s powers since the role was first created 25 years ago. Khan’s much-hated ULEZ expansion and wasteful spending might have something to do with it. Cllr Claire Holland, Chair of London Councils said:
“Giving boroughs a seat at the table and a proper say in regional decision-making will put us in a far stronger position to tackle the challenges we face as a city and drive growth in London. We must seize this opportunity to hardwire collaboration between the Mayor and boroughs into our devolution deal so that we can all deliver better outcomes for Londoners.”
Could Khan go down in history as the London Mayor so disastrous, his own office was stripped of much of its powers?
Read the joint statement in full below:
Continue reading “London’s Borough Leaders Demand Share of Mayor’s Powers in Revolt Against Khan “
Reacting to the news of Jenrick’s sacking at a press conference in Fife, Nigel Farage said:
“I’ll give him a ring this afternoon. Might even buy him a pint.”