Sadiq Khan sends letters to London Tory rebels calling for TfL support
Sadiq Khan has sent letters to London Tory MPs who voted against Boris Johnson in last week’s leadership vote to ask them to lobby for improved Transport for London (TfL) funding.
In an attempt to drive a further wedge between Johnson and his backbenchers, Khan said the MPs should “lobby the Prime Minister and the secretary of state for transport, urging them to stop punishing Londoners and provide the long-term funding deal your constituents and the nation’s economy now need”.
The letters were sent to Wimbledon MP Stephen Hammond, Carshalton and Wallington MP Elliot Colburn, Bromley and Chislehurst MP Sir Bob Neill and Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner MP David Simmonds.
The letters were co-signed by the City Hall leaders of the Liberal Democrats and Green Party.
The four MPs are the only London Tories to publicly say that they voted against the Prime Minister in the vote of confidence over his leadership of the party.
Cities of London and Westminster MP Nickie Aiken did not publicly reveal if she voted with the Prime Minister, but did encourage Johnson to call the vote on himself.
“The way to level up the country is not to level down London,” Khan wrote.
“It is clear that the government’s attacks on London are not only hugely damaging to the country’s economic recovery, but deeply unpopular with the electorate. Londoners should not pay for a pandemic they didn’t cause, and the Prime Minister should not play politics with our economic recovery.”
The Department of Transport hit back last night, with a spokesperson saying the letters were “a wholly unfair portrayal” and that “this is just another example of the mayor refusing to take responsibility and fulfil his promise of making TfL financially stable”.
TfL has received almost £5bn in government funding in the past two years, after Covid decimated the transport body’s revenues.
The latest short-term funding settlement will run out on 24 June, with Khan warning the capital’s transport network will go into a stage of “managed decline” that will involve cuts to services without a long-term deal.
This could mean an up to 18 per cent decrease in bus services and nine per cent decrease in Tube services.
The government is asking TfL to come to the table with ways to cut expenses and that without a serious restructure it will not give the transporty body a long-term deal.
A Whitehall source said “Londoners will be disappointed to see popular routes cut, however as transport in London is devolved, it is for TfL and the mayor make decisions on service levels”.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “This a wholly unfair portrayal of the work that has been going on between the Department and TfL. Officials have been meeting with TfL on a regular basis after committing to explore a long-term settlement and the mayor is well aware of this.
“This is just another example of the mayor refusing to take responsibility and fulfil his promise of making TfL financially stable despite numerous bailouts from the government adding up to almost £5bn.”