Mayor to be investigated over Taylor Swift tickets
pa mediaThe Mayor of London is to be investigated by the Greater London Authority (GLA) over accepting free tickets to a Taylor Swift concert.
The Tories in the London Assembly asked the GLA’s watchdog to investigate possible breaches of the rules.
It comes after BBC London revealed their announcement on the official City Hall register in October wrong and late,
A spokesman for Sir Sadiq Khan said, “Any gifts accepted by the Mayor are declared openly and transparently. In this case there was an administrative error which has been rectified.”
pa mediaMayer received six tickets worth around £3,000 from a private events company to see the American star from a box at Wembley Stadium on 15 August.
He was accompanied by five other members of the City Hall staff, including two senior officials.
Conservative Assembly member Susan Hall wrote to GLA monitoring officer Rory McKenna, claiming the mayor appeared to be “breaching” the gifts and hospitality process.
He said potential issues were raised about the mayor receiving hospitality and being hosted in a box by a private company working for City Hall.
The Tories asked whether there was any reason why “the timely announcement of the tickets could legitimately have been prevented” due to a technical glitch, and why changes to the register were made later.
The monitoring officer was also asked to clarify the rules on accepting gifts and hospitality from contractors and external suppliers who have contracts with the GLA.
‘Answers are desperately needed’
A GLA spokesperson said the watchdog reviewed the complaint against the mayor and three of the four allegations would not be investigated.
An investigation will now be carried out to establish whether the mayor “exercised an appropriate level of caution” in taking the decision to accept the ticket, it said.
Ms Hall said: “While I welcome an inquiry into the propriety of accepting these tickets, after months of demanding answers from Khan, I am disappointed that the watchdog is not taking into account the fact that the Mayor accepted these tickets. Announced late, incorrectly declared who donated them, that their value was underestimated, or that the donor was a GLA contractor.”
“More answers are desperately needed,” he said.
A spokesman for Sir Sadiq said: “The Mayor has no involvement in the procurement process for GLA events or the tendering of these contracts.
“The Mayor’s Office will continue to ensure that all correct procedures are followed, and looks forward to explaining the approach taken in this matter.”
