FOI - Trade mission to Singapore and Japan [Jul 2026]

I am writing to make a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Please disclose the following information: 

1. Total cost of the trade mission to Singapore and Japan. 
2. The total number of Greater London Authority (GLA) staff, aides, or other officials who accompanied the Mayor on this trip and whose travel/accommodation was paid for by the GLA. A breakdown of the total costs incurred by the Mayor and the accompanying GLA staff, specifically categorised by: 
3. Travel: Total cost of all flights and local transportation. Please also state the class of travel used for the flights (e.g., economy, premium economy, business, or first class). 4.
4. Accommodation: Total cost of hotels/accommodation. 
5. Subsistence & Hospitality: Total costs incurred for food, drink, and hospitality, including any events or dinners hosted or paid for by the GLA in Singapore or Japan. 6
6. Other Costs: Any other associated costs (e.g., promotional materials, venue hire for the launch of the tourism and investment campaign). 
7. Trade Delegation: The press release mentions a trade delegation of 28 London businesses and two trade delegations hosted by London & Partners. Please confirm if the GLA or London & Partners subsidised or covered any travel, accommodation, or event costs for the private business delegates, and if so, how much this cost.

Our response

Questions 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6. 

The GLA does not yet hold the information within the scope of your request. As of 16 June 2026, we were still in the process of compiling the costs incurred by the GLA. You may wish to resubmit your request in approximately 6 weeks time. 

Question 2. 

The number of staff who accompanied the Mayor to Singapore and Japan, was nine. This reflects the seniority of the engagements undertaken and the operational and logistical requirements associated with the visit. Every effort is made to keep costs to a minimum and to ensure that all travel is undertaken in accordance with the GLA's travel policies and value-for-money principles. All expenses will be published in the usual way. 

Question 7. 

London & Partners covered accommodation and event costs for the trade delegation, as part of the Grow London Global programme. Accommodation costs for the delegation totalled £27,233.70 and based on costings processed to date [14 July 2026], event costs totalled £16,140.63.