Sadiq Khan isn't out of the woods yet...
Questions continue to mount over Sadiq Khan's Taylor Swift tickets
LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO: DID SADIQ KHAN UNDERMINE POLICE INDEPENDENCE?
Recently, Taylor Swift received a ‘VVIP’ police escort during her concerts in London, a privilege usually reserved for senior royalty and politicians. However, it has been reported that the Met Police only reluctantly agreed to this escort after meetings with the Mayor and Home Secretary.
If true, this would undermine a very important principle in British law – that politicians do not interfere with the operational independence of the police.
It would also raise a critical question: if Sadiq Khan is willing to interfere with the Met Police to assist a pop star, then why has he done nothing, for example, to stop the antisemitic abuse which Londoners know all too well has increased in recent months?
Sadiq Khan has previously tried to tell us that when it comes to the police, he is dancing with his hands tied, but it seems pretty clear that this isn’t true.
Furthermore, Sadiq Khan went on to receive free Taylor Swift tickets, sharing a box with representatives from “LS Events” – the company who gifted the tickets to him.
LS Events has previously worked on events with City Hall, including the arrangements for the Queen’s funeral and fan zones during sporting events. The BBC has reported today that these tickets were declared 10 days late – and the value stated was only a third of their true value.
Call it what you want - we think this raises a number of questions:
Why did LS Events pay for these tickets?
Why did Sadiq Khan not declare the true value of the tickets in good time?
What implications does this whole incident have for the independence of the Met Police?
Take a look at Susan Hall AM’s letter to the Cabinet Office below.
RESIDENTS OF SADIQ KHAN’S FLAGSHIP HOUSING SCHEME TO FACE MASS EVICTION
Sadiq Khan's first ever "London Living Rent" tenants are facing eviction, claiming they were “sold a false dream” at County House, Beckenham.
This flagship scheme promised affordable housing when Sadiq Khan opened it in 2017 but has since been plagued by issues like damp, mould, flooding, and even a fire. Over 50 residents are now being evicted, with some facing rent hikes of up to £900 per month.
Watch Lord Bailey AM quiz the Mayor on why this problem was not foreseen, given that both Sadiq Khan and his Deputy Mayor for Housing have previously been extremely opposed ‘Permitted Development’ schemes like this one.
Thomas Turrell AM, whose Bexley & Bromley constituency contains County House, is a member of the Housing Committee, so he was also able to ask the Deputy Mayor what he would do going forwards to ensure there were no more repeats of this appalling situation. We believe that everyone in London deserves a clean, safe home that suits their needs, but with Sadiq Khan failing to meet his affordable housing targets, this is fast becoming an impossible dream for so many.
HOGARTH ROUNDABOUT WOES
Finally, Keith Prince AM’s questioning of the Mayor exposed how important it is that TfL takes the view of local people into account when consulting on new traffic schemes.
The proposed scheme would create a new lane on Hogarth Roundabout, but in so doing would block off Church Street, requiring vehicles to get to this street by driving down Chiswick Mall – a road that floods twice a day due to the tidal water levels. To make matters worse, this would affect the hearses which need to access Chiswick Old Cemetery and St. Nicholas’ Church.
We urge the Mayor and TfL to speak to residents and the church, and to reconsider. Take a look at the video below.
PS – If you want to see more of our Assembly Members challenging Sadiq Khan, why not subscribe to our YouTube channel HERE?