Tax-Raising Sadiq Khan on Freebie Spree As Londoners’ Bills Soar – Guido Fawkes

Given Sadiq Khan is raising his share of Londoners’ council tax up to a yearly total of nearly £500, you’d think City Hall would tighten its own purse strings to demonstrate at least a modicum of fiscal responsibility. Not quite…

Not only have the salaries of all but one of Sadiq’s deputy mayors risen to over £150,000, a closer look at City Hall’s latest spending returns and the gifts register for Khan and his pals tells the fuller story. It is – as always – nice work if you can get it…

GLA Expenses 2024-25
In the first year of his current term, Khan’s City Hall spent:
● £4,640,910 on printing. Yes, £4.6 million…
● £804,071 on hotel accommodation
● £65,476 on international, European, and domestic flights
● £56,555 on photography
● £48,101 on postage
A total of £5,615,113…

Gifts and Hospitality
In the first year of his current term, Khan himself accepted:
● 2 tickets to Liverpool v Crystal Palace – £450
● 2 tickets to the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium – £700
● 2 tickets to the Carabao Cup Final at Wembley Stadium – £550
● 2 tickets to Brentford v Liverpool – value not reported
● 2 tickets to Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool – £1,050
● 1 ticket to Fulham v Aston Villa – £1,500
● 1 ticket to Liverpool v Bournemouth – £450
● 6 tickets to Taylor Swift Concert at Wembley Stadium – £3,000
A total of £7,700, excluding the value of the Brentford v Liverpool game…

Meanwhile his aides have gratefully accepted a cool £10,967 in freebies, including to Glastonbury, the Brits, the Champions League Final, and UFC fight night. The full details are listed below. Remember, these freebies are registered because staff are supposedly attending in a work capacity…

Deputy Mayors and senior political advisers’ gifts and hospitality:
● Sarah Brown, Director of Communications:
– 3 Stevie Nicks tickets – £300 (accepted because “it was offered”)

● Ali Picton, Assistant Chief of Staff:
– 1 ticket to Glastonbury Festival 2024 with accommodation – £2,500
– British Fashion Awards – £385
– 1 ticket to Taylor Swift Concert at Wembley Stadium – £500
– 1 ticket to Taylor Swift Concert at Wembley Stadium – £194 (attended twice)

● Felicity Appleby, Political Director:
– 1 VIP ticket to UEFA Champions League Final with hospitality – £1,000
– 1 ticket to NFL game at Tottenham Stadium – £1,000
– 2 tickets to MLB London Series (Mets v Phillies) – £1,790

● David Bellamy, Chief of Staff:
– 1 ticket to Champions League Final – £610

● Nadeem Javaid MBE, International Director:
– 2 tickets to Queen’s Tennis Championship – £238
– 1 ticket to UFC Fight Night – £2,000
– 1 ticket to the Brit Awards – £300

● Kaya Comer-Schwartz, Deputy Mayor for Policing:
– 1 ticket to Arsenal vs Tottenham – £150 (lifelong Arsenal fan, attended to “discuss safety issues”)