From TfL to planning laws, allies of Sadiq Khan say figures close to the prime minister are steadily eroding the mayor’s influence
When Sadiq Khan recently announced plans to move his team out of City Hall, the striking Thames-side building that has been headquarters for the London mayoralty for almost 20 years, close observers noted some worrying symbolism in the cost-cutting measure. The proposal would see the mayor move from this prime spot, across the river from the regal pomp of the Tower of London, to less-prominent digs five miles away in London’s Royal Docks. Was this to be a diminished seat of power for a diminished office?
For months now, allies of Khan have complained about an alleged power grab by the government. Across the mayor’s key powers over transport, housing, policing and planning – as well as funding – they claim a series of clashes add up to an attack not just on him, but on the office itself.
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