I've been through Sadiq Khan's latest self-congratulatory press release. Here's what he failed to mention - Susan Hall
Susan Hall assesses Sadiq Khan's claims after London won the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize
|PA
Sadiq Khan has claimed credit for plenty he had little to do with, writes the leader of the Conservatives in the London Assembly
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London is a great city and there is nowhere in the world I would rather live. We have world-class museums, theatres and restaurants, no fewer than seven football teams in the best league in the world, and millions of energetic, creative, hard-working people to drive us forward.
One surefire way of confirming London’s greatness is that our city has coped for almost a decade with a flailing Mayor, who has failed to cut crime, failed to build the houses London needs and failed to continue to improve London’s transport infrastructure beyond simply – yet haphazardly – completing the work of his predecessors.
It was surprising, therefore, to receive a press release from the Mayor of London claiming that ‘London wins the prestigious global 2026 Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize’. This begs a number of questions: How was such a decision possible? Did any other cities apply? What were the criteria?
Well, the press release goes on to justify London’s win and it becomes easier to understand. In short, there is no mention of crime or policing so London’s high crime, low public confidence in the Police and the Met’s significant difficulties in recruiting Police Officers, as well as the surge in knife crime, cycle theft, phone theft and shoplifting under Sadiq Khan are all ignored.
The press release praises the Elizabeth Line, which “launched under Sadiq Khan’s mayoralty [and] has carried 800 million passengers since operation began”. That is true. However, it ignores the fact that the Elizabeth Line (or Crossrail, as it was then known) was started under Ken Livingstone and largely delivered under Boris Johnson.
Whilst it was completed by Sadiq Khan it was three and a half years late and £4billion over budget.
Meanwhile, the press release praises the central London Ulez (which was planned by Sadiq Khan’s predecessor and which actually makes sense), but makes no mention of the disastrous expansion of the Ulez to cover all of Greater London.
It praises Oxford Street pedestrianisation, an ill-thought out and anti-democratic policy which is set to cause congestion chaos in nearby residential streets and risks making Oxford Street a no-go area for many disabled or less mobile people, who will no longer be able to get a bus or taxi to their destination. It also significantly increases the risk of crime.
The press release praises two “Transformation redevelopment projects” - Kings Cross and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The former pre-dated the current Mayor. The latter has increasingly become a nightmare under Sadiq Khan, with the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) mired in financial problems and with its plans going massively over-budget.
It currently owes the Greater London Assembly £550million. Meanwhile, Sadiq Khan is making London - particularly outer London - less liveable by banning new developments from having parking spaces.
The press release praises Destination City, which is the City of London Corporation’s growth strategy for the Square Mile. Continuing a theme, this is a very good strategy which has nothing to do with Sadiq Khan.
Finally, the press release states that London offers “global leadership in economy, research, and culture”. Again, this is true, but it is in spite of London’s hapless, hopeless Mayor, not because of him.
Londoners, if they notice, will be surprised that London has been awarded the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize. However, it should be a cause for hope, because even if quite a lot of the reasoning falls apart under minimal scrutiny, there are still reasons why London is a great city.
Furthermore, London’s problems are all fixable, they just require a decent Mayor to fix them. In two years’ time Londoners can kick out Khan and help our city to fulfil its potential.