• Question by: Susan Hall
• Meeting date: 20 November 2025

Susan Hall AM: Good morning, Mr Mayor. We are talking about the budget, and I can honestly say I have never known so many people to be so concerned about the budget next week. Everybody is. Everybody is talking about it. Of course, all these kites are getting flown all the time. [The Rt Hon Sir] Lindsay Hoyle [MP], whom you all know is the Speaker of the House [of Commons], referred to it as a ‘hokey-cokey’ budget. The problem is this just puts businesses in a bad position. It puts all of us in a bad position. So many...

• Question by: Emma Best
• Meeting date: 20 November 2025

Emma Best AM: Thank you, Chair. Any savings that you are going to have to make in this budget will be driven, of course, by the Government budget. [The Rt Hon] Rachel Reeves [MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer] is being quoted as floating plans for a pay-per-mile scheme. Two years ago, in this very session in Mayor’s Question Time, you said twice to me, “As long as I am Mayor, there will be no pay-per-mile scheme.” Can I just check that you have made that representation to the Chancellor on this?

• Question by: Krupesh Hirani
• Meeting date: 20 November 2025

Krupesh Hirani AM: Thank you, Chair. I am slightly puzzled about having to look at London’s role as an international city and visiting other countries being seen as a potential for budget saving. The previous incumbent of your position, as you have already mentioned, was very fond of overseas travel and I believe his trips did not lead to as many positive outcomes for Londoners, although, as we have already heard today, maybe for himself personally. Your first overseas trip after you were elected in 2016 was to India, and you reopened offices in Mumbai and Delhi, which had been...

• Question by: Elly Baker
• Meeting date: 20 November 2025

Elly Baker AM: Thank you, Chair. I just want to briefly follow up on Assembly Member Garratt’s question about the PHV drivers, the delays in relicensing, and potential compensation. I would really support some scheme that recognises, as we have all seen and we have talked about in this Chamber before, the hardship for those drivers who have been unable to work for periods of time. My priority concern is that the problem continues and that the liabilities of that compensation scheme continue to go up. We are not seeing significant drops in the numbers of drivers [awaiting licence renewals]...

• Question by: Alessandro Georgiou
• Meeting date: 20 November 2025

Alessandro Georgiou AM: Good morning, Mr Mayor. I hope you are well. I apologise for my voice. You know I always get overly excited when I see you and my voice does all sorts of things when I am near you! Mr Mayor, talking of budget savings, for the last nine years, all you have done is moan and whine and say that it is always someone else’s fault for the things that you have to do. Possibly one of the budget savings you could have made was the cost of your Africa trip, which cost the taxpayers £83,000. You...

• Question by: Neil Garratt
• Meeting date: 20 November 2025

Neil Garratt AM: Morning. When you are thinking about what savings you might be looking to make in your budget next year, one of the things I would urge you not to consider would be some scheme of compensation for private hire vehicle (PHV) drivers, who have been extremely badly treated. I am sure you are aware that this has been going on now for maybe a year since TfL introduced a scheme where PHV drivers and minicab drivers have to be licensed not only as a driver but to be able to drive as a minicab driver. TfL introduced...

• Question by: Andrew Boff
• Meeting date: 20 November 2025

Andrew Boff AM (Deputy Chair): I am sure you would extend your thanks to your predecessor for authorising the Barking Riverside extension, which you seem to have claimed responsibility for.

• Question by: Keith Prince
• Meeting date: 20 November 2025

Keith Prince AM: Good morning, Mr Mayor. I am very excited about this because, as you know, in east London we do not have many crossings and the ones that we do have we have to pay for. The first assurance I would like to get from you is that you will not be tolling it, will you, Mr Mayor, like all the other crossings that we have?

• Question by: Neil Garratt
• Meeting date: 20 November 2025

Neil Garratt AM: Good morning, Mr Mayor. I know we will all be supporting the DLR extension, just as we also supported the West London Orbital and the Bakerloo line [extension], both of which now look increasingly dead. You are making a big thing out of this DLR announcement today, but it is not an announcement. It is a pre-announcement of a possible announcement that might come next week in ongoing Budget leaks, no actual news. There is no actual amount of money pledged. There is nothing concrete from the Government. What this looks like is a bit of news...

• Reference: 2025/4232
• Question by: Chair, London Assembly
• Meeting date: 20 November 2025

Len Duvall AM (Chair): The Mayor will now provide an oral update of up to five minutes - or so - in length on matters occurring since the publication of his report. Mr Mayor.