It’s reported the Mayor of London has received more than £100,000 in gifts and hospitality since taking office.
The London Mayor is said to have enjoyed free concert tickets
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has received more than £100,000 in gifts and hospitality since taking office including concert tickets to see Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift.
The 53-year-old, who has been mayor of the capital since 2016, joins a host of leading Labour politicians, including the Prime Minister, scrutinised over their acceptance of perks in the job.
According to the Telegraph, Mr Khan has enjoyed gratis access to Madonna concerts, the Abba tour, the Vogue World fashion show, cricket and tennis matches and trips to watch boxing.
The paper also says he has had access to free travel and accommodation. In all the team surrounding the mayor, including deputies and commissioners, are said to have also scooped up £250,000 in gifts.
Recent enviable excursions for Mr Khan include six £194 tickets to see Taylor Swift at Wembley in August, courtesy of the FA, and a free ticket, worth £1,000, to see the Champions League final in June from Uefa. The latter is listed as part of his official engagements with London being the host city.
Bruce Springsteen is one of the high-profile acts Sadiq Khan is said to have seen
Mr Khan, who supports Liverpool, is also said to have been given two tickets worth £800 to watch his side beat Chelsea in the Carabao Cup Final at Wembley in February.
Hitting a continued high-priced note, the Telegraph reports Mr Khan has been to a number of music gigs in the capital over the past two years, with tickets to see Madonna, worth £800, and Bruce Springsteen, worth £239.90.
But it’s the All England Club which have served up a hefty portion of gifts for the mayor, with four Wimbledon finals tickets worth more than £13,000.
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London, told Express.co.uk: “As Mayor, Sadiq works tirelessly to bang the drum for London and act as a champion of the capital’s creative and sporting sectors.
“Any gift accepted by the Mayor is declared openly and transparently and is subject to strict rules.”
Labour has been dogged with speculation over the expenses and gifts declared by senior members since the party came to power in July.
Now it’s been announced the rules on ministers accepting hospitality will be overhauled to ensure they are more transparent about what is being provided, the Government said.
Senior Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden said the rules will be changed to bring them in line with what shadow ministers and backbench MPs must declare.
Under the current arrangements details of hospitality received by ministers in their ministerial capacity are published by departments.
But the information is released quarterly and does not include the value of the hospitality. MPs’ and shadow ministers’ interests must be declared within 28 days, are published fortnightly and include the cost of the hospitality.