Sadiq Khan has been accused of avoiding scrutiny over the decision to move a public question time session online to avoid disruption.
The next People’s Question Time (PQT), scheduled for the 29th of February, will not have an in-person public audience in attendance.
Peter Fortune, Conservative Member of the London Assembly for Bexley and Bromley, said on X, “Sadiq Khan cancels People’s Question Time. He’s offered a Team meeting instead…. This Mayor does not like scrutiny.”
Sadiq Khan cancels People’s Question Time. He’s offered a Team meeting instead…. This Mayor does not like scrutiny. https://t.co/JeOTiAykkC
— Peter Fortune AM (@PeterTFortune) January 31, 2024
Conservative Chair of the London Assembly, Andrew Boff, said on X:
“The mayor’s unilateral decision to scrap the in-person ‘People’s Question Time’ planned for Richmond in February goes against the Assembly’s representations.”
At the last PQT session the mayor was heckled several times by audience members who opposed the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez).
In a statement to the BBC, a spokesperson for the Greater London Authority said: “Unacceptable behaviour at the last PQT meeting disrupted the event and put the safety of all those attending and staffing the event at risk.
The decision has therefore been taken to host February’s PQT online, allowing the event to go ahead safely so that Londoners can pose their questions to the mayor and assembly members.”
PQT is held twice a year. It gives members of the public the opportunity to quiz the Mayor and Members of the London Assembly on issues like policing, housing and transport.
