Category: London

Sadiq Khan – 2021 Comments on Homelessness in London over Christmas

The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 1 December 2021.

Since becoming Mayor, I have made tackling rough sleeping a personal priority. From City Hall we are doing everything we can with the resources at our disposal to keep rough sleepers safe and I’m confident Londoners will once again show their generosity by backing my winter fundraising campaign and helping to support young Londoners who find themselves homeless.

Even so, the generosity of Londoners alone cannot end rough sleeping in our capital. This time last year we were hailing the remarkable success of the ‘Everyone In’ programme for saving the lives of hundreds of vulnerable Londoners. Despite seeing what can be achieved when we work together, ministers now appear unwilling or unable to confront the appalling reality that hundreds of young Londoners could spend this Christmas sleeping on the streets.

December 1, 2021
Sadiq Khan – 2021 Comments on Activating the Severe Weather Emergency Protocols

The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 26 November 2021.

Once again far too many people are facing the first cold snap of the winter on the streets of the capital, without the safe, secure accommodation that should be the basic right of every Londoner.

Across London, we will do everything we can to protect rough sleepers in these freezing conditions. I know London’s councils and charities will also be working tirelessly over the weekend to help the most vulnerable amongst us and I thank them for their efforts.

November 27, 2021
Sadiq Khan – 2021 Comments on Move to Royal Docks Move

The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 24 November 2021.

City Hall’s move to The Crystal building will usher in a new era for the Greater London Authority (GLA) and this flourishing part of East London.

The move will save £61m over five years which will be used to help protect vital front-line services including in policing, the London Fire Brigade, and our transport network. It will also enable me to invest further in London’s economic recovery from the pandemic.

November 27, 2021
Sadiq Khan – 2021 Comments on Stabbing in Croydon

The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 19 November 2021.

I’m utterly devastated that a teenage boy was fatally stabbed last night in Croydon. Violent crime tears families and communities apart. We’ll continue to bear down on violence— but we must root out its causes too. Prevention is the only long-term solution.

November 19, 2021
Sadiq Khan – 2021 Comments on TFL Funding

The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 19 November 2021.

Transport for London is dealing with an unprecedented financial crisis caused by the pandemic. We are now less than a month away from TfL’s emergency funding deal expiring on 11 December. Unless the Government provides the long-term funding needed to maintain our public transport network, there will be no choice but to make significant cuts to services just as demand is growing again.

This would mean fewer, less frequent and more run-down bus and tube services for Londoners, making it more difficult to travel around the city. It would also mean more road and tunnel closures due to a lack of funding to maintain key transport infrastructure. The widespread disruption and gridlock all these changes would cause would not only unfairly punish millions of Londoners for the impact of the pandemic on TfL’s finances, but would put the national economic recovery at risk.

I support greater transport investment in regions across the country, but levelling up Britain must not come at the expense of levelling down London. There can be no London recovery without a properly funded public transport network in the capital, and there can be no national recovery without a London recovery. Our city contributes £36.1bn net to the Treasury each year. TfL contracts contribute around £7bn to the UK economy, and its supply chain supports 43,000 jobs around the country, which could be at risk.

If the Government fails to work with us to protect London’s transport network, the capital and the whole country will pay the price for decades to come.

November 19, 2021
Sadiq Khan – 2021 Comments on the London Police and Crime Plan

The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 16 November 2021.

Keeping Londoners safe is my number one priority and my draft Police and Crime Plan demonstrates I will continue to be both tough on crime and tough on the complex causes of crime, taking the action needed to keep our city safe and to ensure that victims of crime are supported.

Thanks to relentless effort by the Met Police and record funding from City Hall, violent crime is now falling – but there is still much more to do in order to prevent violence and stop the terrible loss of young lives in our city. I will continue to support the police in bearing down on criminality, providing record funding to put more officers on the streets, and stopping violence from happening in the first place by funding programmes that divert vulnerable young people away from crime, and providing positive opportunities for young Londoners.

This Plan also reflects my determination to increase the trust and confidence of all Londoners in their police service. I will continue to work with the Metropolitan Police and London’s Black communities to deliver my Action Plan for Transparency, Accountability and Trust in full, including an overhaul of community scrutiny of police tactics including stop and search, use of force and Taser. I will also continue to support the independent review into the Met’s culture and standards, to help rebuild women and girls’ trust in the police.

It is more important than ever that we involve everyone across London, as we all have a part to play in helping make our city a safer, better place. I want to encourage Londoners to feed into the public consultation on my plan, to ensure I’m taking the action they want to see on the issues that matter most to them.

November 16, 2021
Sadiq Khan – 2021 Comments on COP26

The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 11 November 2021.

For years, climate change deniers have attempted to thwart climate action. But today the biggest obstacle to reducing our carbon emissions isn’t the climate change deniers, it’s the delayers. It’s the national governments that can talk a good game, but then refuse to put in place the plans, action or funding we desperately need.

Unfortunately, we have seen yet more examples of this at COP26. So my message to the UK government and other nation states and businesses around the world is that these delaying tactics must stop. The time for empty rhetoric and hollow gestures is over. We need urgent action now – not in 20 or 30 years’ time.

When you compare national governments to cities over recent years, the difference when it comes to taking bold climate action is striking. It’s night versus day. It’s the difference between delayers versus doers.

Compared to the slow nature of national governments, it’s our cities that have proven to be more nimble, progressive and responsive to the needs of our citizens, rising to the challenge.

As Mayor, I’m determined to continue leading this charge and for London to become the greenest city in the world – driving green innovation and jobs as well as pioneering the solutions to decarbonise our transport system and economy. As the new Chair of C40, I want to help other cities do the same, working together to unleash the power and potential that cities have to make a meaningful difference in this fight for our future.

November 11, 2021
Nicola Sturgeon – 2021 Comments on Working With Sajid Javid on Green Investment

The comments made by Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, on 3 November 2021.

COP26 provides what is possibly our best chance to advance the societal and economic change that is demanded by the climate emergency, delivering lasting action towards net zero and a climate-resilient future.

By grasping the opportunities provided by green industries and supply chains, we can create the good green jobs of the future and secure a just transition away from fossil fuels.

The role of private capital is fundamental to achieving this and governments must do what they can to channel investment into areas supporting transformational change.

Through our Green Investment Portfolio, which is already valued at £2 billion, the Scottish Government highlights a range of exciting, commercially assessed investment propositions to investors and showcases businesses in Scotland as world leaders in innovative green industries of the future.

November 4, 2021
Sadiq Khan – 2021 Comments on Working With Nicola Sturgeon on Green Investment

The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 3 November 2021.

COP26 is a landmark moment in the battle against climate change. We must take bold action now or face dire consequences – with catastrophic impacts on our environment, the climate and the air we breathe – further down the line. In London, we are determined to play our part.

That is why I’ve committed to making London net zero by 2030, faster than any other comparable city, and it’s why we are delivering a climate action plan that is compatible with the highest ambitions of the Paris Agreement. I also want London to be a zero-pollution city and have expanded our Ultra Low Emission Zone to cover all of inner London so that far fewer children have to grow up breathing toxic air.

I have been clear that climate action and our economic recovery must go hand in hand. This will require record investment and coordinated action from everyone – cities, businesses, national governments and communities – to truly turn the tide. That is why I am leading the way by committing more than £30 million to help unlock up to £150 million of private investment in low carbon projects and create the green jobs that will help make our target of a zero-carbon capital a reality by the end of this decade.

November 4, 2021
Sadiq Khan – 2021 Comments on London Climate Summit

The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 28 October 2021.

Climate action is about building a greener, healthier, fairer and more resilient city and ensuring future generations can thrive. Making positive changes to our homes and streets will benefit everyone, particularly those Londoners who experience the worst effects of toxic air and climate change. We’ve already made great progress – from cleaning the air with the recently extended Ultra Low Emission Zone, to ensuring all new developments are net-zero carbon through the London Plan.

Future Neighbourhoods is about communities and local government working together to accelerate ambitious climate action and to lower emissions, clean up their air and transform their homes, showing what a net zero carbon London will look and feel like now.

October 31, 2021