Sadiq Khan - Labour at it’s best? ?

I really couldn’t give a monkeys toot about the “London city economy“ . They’ve had it far too good for far too long .

Despite what everyone thinks there really is more to this country than Londonia .

I have had no time whatsoever for Khan since he permitted the awful offensive Trump blimp to be flown when the President was here on a State visit.

Would such a thing be permitted for any other leader?

Could you imagine a blind eye being turned for example at a black blimp flown to at the time of a visiting African leader ?

It just wouldn’t happen would it?

Khan is the worst Mayor London has ever had.

I agree JenniferE that blimp was the height of disrespect for a visiting president/ head of state and I can only imagine the outcry if the same had happened if the queen or our PM had visited America. Pathetic and childish .

It was gillybob and it’s possible to say that without particularly being a Trump fan.

Your favourite day of the week tomorrow isn’t it?!!

Will your little Friday girl make an appearance?!

I hope your husband is getting on ok? What a relief for you both that he’s finally had his operation.

Khan is only in office because Covid has stalled the elections. Next May hopefully the voters will make a better choice!

Khan is and has been a poor excuse for London Mayor.

Increasing the daily charge for vehicles entering London and extending it to include weekends at the same time telling people not to use public transport????

Knife crime at an all time high?

Yes GG13 another failing. He’s been pretty useless.
Can anyone jump to his defence?

I live in NW London and on better days I used to enjoy driving into London on a Sunday, parking for free and wandering around the shops. With his stupid congestion charge covering every hour except when I am asleep, I now stay at home.

Urmstongran

Yes GG13 another failing. He’s been pretty useless.
Can anyone jump to his defence?

All the Starmerites seem to have left the forum due to his "no show" leadership and taking Labour down the financial plug hole Urmstongran.

Just us real left thinking Labour movement supporters remaining and on Sadiq Khan "I know nothing" as Manwell would say. ??

Urmstongran

Yes GG13 another failing. He’s been pretty useless.
Can anyone jump to his defence?

Not qualified to comment I’m afraid ! I’d say it’s Londoners who are more able to give their opinion ?

I don't like him and always feel he is out of his depth.
I did breathe a sigh of relief when he kept my oyster freedom pass running though!

TfL were 90%. down on their income due to COVID and needed a government bailout before the whole system would have to be shut down and no one could get to work. The government insisted on cutting services and increasing fares and other strings attached. He could have said no and let the system collapse, but he would have been condemned for that. A no win situation. There you go - I’ve jumped to his defence. I also think aiming to get cleaner air in a heavily polluted city is a worthy aim.

London has been hit hard by the coronavirus situation but that to a limited degree now seems to be changing.

Many in the City are returning to their offices and such places as The Innes of Court are fully functional again. That has rejuvenated trade in the restaurants and bars around Holborn, The Kingsway and Strand.

The footfall in Regent Street and Oxford Street has also now once again "picked up" due to the City return. How much Sadiq Khan could have affected all that has happened in London in recent months is doubtful I feel.

However, I believe that all of Britains major cities have severe problems facing them into the future as there would seem to a policy of driving and keeping people out of the centre of our large conurbations with high charges rather than encouraging shoppers etc in.

It’s said he has the ‘Minus touch’. Sun’s him up for me.

Mind you his ongoing Tweet spats with Trump endear him to the lefties in London so I bet he gets re-elected next year.

I don't feel qualified to give an opinion on Sadiq Khan as I don't live in London but I do believe that the financial district of the city will not return to how it was before the pandemic.
Many financial institutions have discovered that their productivity has remained the same or even improved while their staff have been working from home. They are therefore, considering continuing with home working rather than continuing to pay the high rents for their large offices. I know that the commuter economy is suffering, sandwich shops, W.H.Smith etc. But each business will be looking to their own interests. NatWest will not care if Pret a Manger goes bust, for example.

You did have a worse Mayor, Boris. Also more people are working at home and this is the future, the money they spend will now be spent locally and not in the centre, pollution will be down, surely a good thing.

Good post ilovecheese, cut my bit short because you said what I was going to say.

I lovecheese, in regard to your post@10:28 today, I was in London yesterday and the city is looking much more akin to how it was prior to the lockdown.

We were visiting one of our clients which is a very large insurance organisation and they are steadily bringing all their central London office staff back. As with many companies, they have found that where staff have to closely collaborate with each other working from home is just not efficient.

Our own company experienced exactly the same situation, and we too now have all admin staff back in the office.

Some companies will retain staff working from home but they will be a very small minority I believe by the beginning of next year.

However, much will depend on how the Covid crisis pans out into the future.

I've never liked that man, too full of his own importance. The sooner he's replaced the better.

Couldn't agree more with what Gillybob said. NE and NW have been the poor relations for far too long now as everything has been about London !

The congestion charge has been in operation for many years, its the way other cities are going both here and around the world. It will cut pollution and that can only be a good thing. The tube is another matter, at least you have one in your city how do you think other places manage.

It’s not just workers there are zero tourists , I have been to central
London on a couple of occasions and definitely 75% fewer people. No queues in shops, empty / closed restaurants and pubs. Good time to do sightseeing in cities.

Barmeyoldbat

The congestion charge has been in operation for many years, its the way other cities are going both here and around the world. It will cut pollution and that can only be a good thing. The tube is another matter, at least you have one in your city how do you think other places manage.

Yes the congestion charge has been around for several years, but Khan has extended it to include weekends and upped the price!

As ordered to by the government GG13