In light of the newly-public partnership contract between London Mayor Sadiq Khan and United Airlines, Caroline Russell AM, leader of the City Hall Green Group, has released the following statement outlining the troubling precedent of a corporate polluter sponsoring Mayoral activity, a relationship which the Mayor’s team previously denied: [1]
“The office of the Mayor of London should not be for sale – yet, United Airlines secured free publicity and final sign-off of Mayoral materials in exchange for business class flights to the United States.
“London's Mayor is bound by the principles of public life outlined in the Code of Conduct, and I am concerned the integrity of his office has been tarnished by what appears to be the endorsement of a product that actively harms the very people he was elected to serve.
“Londoners wouldn’t like BP’s logo on the Mayor’s SUVs, they wouldn’t like Nestle sponsoring Free School Meals, and they won’t like a corporate polluter getting a publicity boost from their Mayor in exchange for free flights abroad.
“Ultimately, this so-called ‘partnership agreement’ lacks the integrity and transparency we expect from City Hall. Londoners deserve to know what other polluters might be able to buy their Mayor’s endorsement.”
Notes to editors
Background: On 16 August 2023, Caroline Russell AM sent a formal complaint to the Greater London Authority (GLA) Monitoring Officer, detailing her request for an investigation into the conduct of Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and Deputy Mayors Rajesh Agrawal and Justine Simons OBE, with regard to their relationship with United Airlines.
[1] Letter from United Airlines to London Mayor Sadiq Khan
[2] Letter of formal complaint from Caroline Russell AM to GLA Monitoring Officer