The Right Hon Boris Johnson MP, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, will appear before the London Assembly tomorrow, in his capacity as former Mayor of London, to answer questions on the Garden Bridge project.
In line with the Assembly’s statutory scrutiny role and following its ongoing interest in the project, the GLA Oversight Committee issued a summons notice requesting the former Mayor of London attend the meeting. [1]
Mr Johnson will be questioned by the Committee for 45 minutes on:
- Accountability
- TfL governance and procurement practices
- Lessons learned
In September 2016, Mayor Sadiq Khan announced an Independent Review into the Garden Bridge project which was conducted by Dame Margaret Hodge. The Foreign Secretary declined to be interviewed for the independent review, however, senior figures in his administration such as Sir Edward Lister (former Deputy Mayor for Planning and Chief of Staff) did contribute. In response to the Review’s recommendations, Mayor Khan announced on 9 May 2017 that he would not be supporting the Garden Bridge
The meeting will take place on Thursday, 1st March from 2.00pm in The Chamber, at City Hall (The Queen’s Walk, London SE1).
Media and members of the public are invited to attend.
The meeting can also be viewed via webcast.
Follow us @LondonAssembly and take part in the discussion using #AssemblyOversight and #AssemblyBoris
Notes to editors
- This is the first occasion the Assembly has used its summons powers on a former Mayor.
- In March 2016, the GLA Oversight Committee published the report The Garden Bridge Design Procurement.
- Len Duvall AM, Chair of the GLA Oversight Committee, is available for interview – see contact details below.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For media enquiries, please contact Alison Bell on 020 7983 4228. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer. Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.