Sadiq Khan just called on Labour government to give him £25BILLION to fund London spending spree

Having ruled out most tax rises during Labour’s subsequent General Election campaign, Chancellor Rachel Reeves will face pressure from the Mayor to instead find the sum through additional borrowing.

The London Mayor was re-elected in May, promising to recruit 1300 police officers, build 40,000 council homes, freeze TfL fares and make free school meals permanent if he and a Labour government were both elected.

The phrase ‘Labour government’ appeared in the Mayor’s manifesto nearly forty times, with Sadiq Khan asking Londoners to “imagine what a Labour mayor and government could do together”.

Two days after the General Election, the Mayor committed to lobbying the new government for additional powers and billions of pounds of extra funding, including at a meeting of Metro Mayors in 10 Downing Street.

Sadiq Khan’s demands from government over the next four years includes £500 million a year for Transport for London, a least £250 million a year for the Metropolitan Police Service, a one-off ‘emergency’ payment of £2.2 billion for housing, and an additional £4.9 billion a year to fund affordable housebuilding.

Despite being given £9 billion by the previous Conservative government to fund 140,000 homes, the number of homes built in London has fallen to record lows.

Before the General Election, the Mayor suggested it “remains essential for Ministers to step up and provide funding”, and that it is “only through increased government funding that we can continue our vital work to build a better London for everyone”.

Other policies in the Mayor’s last manifesto, to be delivered under a Labour government, include nationalising suburban rail services into London and new powers to implement rent controls.

Susan Hall AM said: “During the Mayoral campaign, Sadiq Khan made all sorts of promises to get himself re-elected, and now wants the new Labour government to borrow billions of pounds so he can pay for it all.

“The Mayor already has a huge £21 billion a year budget which he is not spending sensibly, and now wants another £25 billion on top.

“This can only be funded by Labour borrowing and leaving the taxpayer to pick up the bill later down the line, which is completely wrong.”

Neil Garratt AM said: “The vast majority of the manifesto commitments Sadiq Khan was re-elected on depended on a Labour government being elected. Will Rachel Reeves now give in and fund the Mayor’s demands with £25 billion of additional borrowing?

"We welcome long-term investment in our city, but Londoners should not forget that Mayor Khan already has a £21 billion annual budget that he has not spent prudently.

“We should be very cautious about the taxpayer having to pick up Sadiq’s tab down the road and what demands will come next.”

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London, said: “These figures are misleading nonsense.

"It’s going to be tough to clean up the mess left by the previous government, but the Mayor looks forward to working hand-in-hand with the new government to build a better London for everyone, boost economic growth and help deliver the change Britain needs.”