Labour’s leader on the London Assembly has filed an official complaint after Mayor Boris Johnson claimed £4,000 for first class flights to the Gulf.
Len Duvall AM says the claim appears to breach City Hall rules which limit air travel to economy or economy-plus class “unless there are exceptional circumstances, like health-related matters.”
The Mayor visited the Gulf earlier this year when he lead a trade delegation to the region as part of efforts to secure inward investment to the capital.
Mr Duvall says he backs such visits but has accused the Mayor and senior advisors of “outrageous” behaviour in claiming for first class tickets.
In addition to Mr Johnson, the complaint covers claims for flights by the Mayor’s Chief Economic Adviser, Gerard Lyons and Transport Deputy Isabel Dedring who claimed £4,579 for a trip to New York where she represented the Mayor on official business.
Mr Duvall said: “Whilst Londoners are suffering from a cost of living crisis and some people have to choose between heating and eating, it is both disgraceful and immoral that Boris and his team would spend Londoners’ money in this way. I have lodged a formal complaint with the City Hall Monitoring Officer to get to the bottom of this.”
He added that if the Mayor’s team wanted to fly first class they should “waste their own money” rather than claim public funds.
Commenting on the complaint, a spokesperson for Mr Johnson said: “The Mayor is comfortable that these claims were within the rules. The complaint will be dealt with in due course.”
