• Question by: Leonie Cooper
• Meeting date: 19 June 2025

Léonie Cooper AM: Thank you, Chair. Mr Mayor, I just wanted to clarify in terms of protecting and restoring nature whether or not you think some of the protections in the current London Plan are strong enough. We are just entering into a discussion about parks. Is that a designation in planning or would you say that other planning, for example, insisting on biodiversity net gain, the urban greening factor, and things like MOL, provide stronger protections than the word ‘park’?

• Question by: Andrew Boff
• Meeting date: 19 June 2025

Andrew Boff AM (Deputy Chair): Now that Labour and Reform on the Assembly are lockstep in favour of building tower blocks on parks, will you at least rule out building on London’s existing nature-filled parks?

• Question by: Andrew Boff
• Meeting date: 19 June 2025

Andrew Boff AM (Deputy Chair): Can I ask you, Mr Mayor, to read the report produced by the Conservative Group back in 2013, Shadow City, which raised many of those issues that then the Jay Report touched upon? We have been there. We have been in the room. We have been alerting London to the problems of human trafficking in London back to 2013. I would ask that you or one of your team review that report. It is 230 pages. I would appreciate that.

• Question by: Marina Ahmad
• Meeting date: 19 June 2025

Marina Ahmad AM: Thank you, Chair. Good morning, Mr Mayor. Mr Mayor, earlier you talked about the victims of the child abuse that has been so public recently and I know that they will appreciate that, I am sure, and everybody around this Chamber will appreciate those comments. Relating to the exchange that has just happened, I am going to ask you whether you are surprised that so little action was taken after the Jay Review [Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse] in 2022?

• Question by: Lord Bailey of Paddington
• Meeting date: 19 June 2025

Lord Bailey of Paddington AM: Thank you, Chair. You say that the MPS said there were no gangs to look at, but Alexis Jay [CBE, Chair, Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse] was surprised by that and thought that the MPS needed to do more work. I just put that in as a slight balance. I will ask you the question. You were not in favour of a national inquiry. The Prime Minister was not in favour of a national inquiry. In fact, the Prime Minister said people who were are somehow far right. That was the term he used...

• Question by: Susan Hall
• Meeting date: 19 June 2025

Susan Hall AM: Thank you, Chair. Mr Mayor, I am going back to grooming gangs. I would have continued last time, but there were children in the audience from Tower Hamlets and I was about to mention something there and I thought that was inappropriate. My question is, given the historic child protection failings in boroughs like Tower Hamlets and Lambeth, where the most heinous and despicable crimes took place over many years, do you think that a grooming gang would have been identified by the authorities in those areas if one was operating and sexually abusing young girls?

• Question by: Leonie Cooper
• Meeting date: 19 June 2025

Léonie Cooper AM: Mr Mayor, I am actually quite enjoying your humour there, but I just wondered if you might agree with me that it is a bit hypocritical for the Conservatives in this Chamber, who are the only Group who have ever had somebody removed from the Chamber for being rude to another Assembly Member, there is also one of their number who Emma Best AM: No, Assembly Member Baker had to leave Len Duvall AM (Chair): Stop. Léonie Cooper AM: I am sorry. Do you mind? Emma Best AM: She was wrong and so I was pointing out...