Sadiq Khan has refused to reveal the amount City Hall handed over to the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) over the weekend to avert a four-day strike on the Underground.
This is despite the union itself claiming the amount was £30 million.
Neil Garratt, Tory chairman of the assembly’s budget committee, asked Khan how much money was handed to the union at the eleventh hour on Sunday - a figure that was agreed just twenty minutes before the strikes were set to begin.
Khan hit back: "No - I don't want to talk about figures in the press. It's important that we allow discussions to take place but we shouldn't believe what's in the press."
Sadiq Khan has refused to reveal the amount City Hall handed over to the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT)
London Assembly
Garratt responded: "Well I definitely believe that the strike action hasn't happened. And I don't think RMT would have just abandoned that at the 11th hour for no reason. So the reports of extra money - I shouldn't believe any of that?"
Khan confirmed that extra money had been handed to the unions, saying it came out of City Hall's budget rather than Transport for London's.
When asked again by Garratt how much money was used, Khan dodged the question again, saying: "I'm not going to say it publically. But the figure you said in the media is not a figure I would say is the figure."
Garratt continued: "So not £30 million... some other number. Presumably a significant number."
He warned Khan that other unions will now demand more money, saying: "It sounds like the bat signal has gone up from city hall that if you want more money, threaten a strike."
But Khan said it is a "question of equity", explaining: "You should ensure that all workers if there is additional money, get that support."
Yesterday, Khan was accused of spending "one month's worth of Ulez money" in order to postpone the planned strike action.
Suggesting the Mayor is in the pocket of the unions, Susan Hall said Khan used the money to get his "union mates" to put off the walkout "until after the election".
Hall told GB News: "All Sadiq Khan has done is spend one month's worth of ULEZ money to get his union mates to postpone their strikes until after the election.
"We need a Mayor who can stand up to the unions, not one who capitulates because he's terrified of losing the election.
"London deserves so much better and we can vote for it on 2 May."
Jared Wood, the RMT’s London regional organiser, said City Hall had handed over £30 million to the union in a statement after the strike action was called off on Sunday.
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When asked again by Garratt how much money was used, Khan dodged the question again
London Assembly
He said: "The threat of action over a week has delivered.
"Make no mistake, £30m is a significant increase that will allow us to address the key issues raised by the RMT.
"We will now seek to conclude negotiations as soon as possible and to resolve the issues of help for the lowest paid and the failure to inflate the [pay] bands as a priority."
