New FoI figures shared with Guido reveal the Mayor of London’s PR budget has broken past the eye-watering £1 million mark per year for the first time ever. By the end of his first term last month, Sadiq’s press office costs had officially soared by 50% since 2016. City Hall revealed Sadiq spent £1,097,285 on his press office in 2020/21, compared to £732,537 in 2015/16…

The mayor’s office costs have also increased dramatically. In 2015/16 the taxpayer forked out £3.8 million for Sadiq’s office, however that cost had risen to nearly £6 million in 2020/21. A rise of nearly 60%.

Reacting to the figures, the Tories’ GLA leader Susan Hall tells Guido Londoners would be “amazed” that the Mayor found yet more money for his press team while “pleading poverty”:

“It’s frankly shameful that Sadiq Khan has splashed so much money on his press team while pleading poverty when it comes to Londoners’ priorities.

Londoners will be amazed that the Mayor could increase his PR bill to more than £1 million considering how often he complains he is broke. The irony won’t be lost on people that Khan is wasting cash on an extortionate press team to complain how broke he is.

Khan constantly claims that he can’t afford to invest in housing, policing and transport in London despite his £19.4 billion budget. But there is never a cash shortage when it comes to his ever-rising PR and office bill.”

If Sadiq’s second term sees the same rise, taxpayers will be spaffing £1.65 million on his PR team…