Sadiq Khan has said he is hopeful that a victory in the mayoral election would give him “the right mandate” to negotiate with the Government.
The current Mayor of London was in Waltham Forest for the final day of campaigning before Londoners head to the polls.
With a new funding deal for TfL set to be reviewed on May 18, two weeks after the election, Sadiq Khan told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the Government must “stop playing silly games” and provide a “sensible” funding deal for TfL to support London’s recovery.
Mr Khan said: “The key thing after the election will be, hopefully the Government will stop doing knockabout stuff, stop playing silly games and understand that to have a national recovery, we need a London recovery. To have a London recovery, we need public transport.
“What we can’t have is a car led recovery, replacing one health crisis – Covid, with another one – poor quality air. I’m confident that once the election is out the way, Boris Johnson and the Government will start being sensible, investing in London. And that includes TfL.”
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The Labour candidate went on to say that, if he is successful in the election, he would set out his plan for London’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic “as early as Monday”.
Mr Khan has already announced a £32 million Good Work Fund to provide young Londoners with the skills they need for “the jobs of tomorrow”, a £4 million investment in high streets and a £6 million campaign to attract visitors back to central London and the West End.
Ahead of the election, Mr Khan said that the Government must “respect the wishes of Londoners” if he is re-elected by providing him with the powers to implement the ideas he set out in his manifesto, including sustainable funding for TfL as well as things such as rent controls in London.
He said: “I’m hopeful that with the right mandate, I can say to the Government ‘London knew what I was standing for, London chose me.
“It’s really important for you to respect the wishes of London’. The alternative is the Government turning their back on London, which I’m sure they wouldn’t do.”
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