Mayor defends 'secret location' for public Q&A

The mayor at a People's Question Time event in 2021

An event where the public can question the mayor of London about his policies will be held in-person for the first time since March 2023, but the location will only be disclosed a few days before the event.

Sadiq Khan is due to attend People’s Question Time in Wandsworth on Thursday 12 December with ticket holders being told the address on Monday 9 December.

The Greater London Authority (GLA) said this was to ensure the session could take place "safely and securely in-person for attendees and participants".

But the leader of the Conservatives at City Hall said he opposed the changes, which he claimed were "clearly intended to chip away at public scrutiny".

Virtual meeting

People’s Question Time takes place in a different London borough roughly every six months but the last two were held under tightened security at City Hall in east London amid concerns over his safety.

At the events the mayor and London assembly members answer questions from the audience on policy areas they are responsible for, including the city's transport, policing and housing.

The last time the event took place outside City Hall was in March 2023 in Ealing.

The next session was meant to take place in November 2023 in Westminster but was moved to City Hall due to growing fears over the mayor’s security.

The following session, in February 2024, should have taken place in Richmond but was conducted virtually with no audience able to attend the session in person. Instead the mayor answered questions via video link in his office.

A protester is removed by security at People's Question Time event

Khan has required police protection and has faced death threats throughout his mayoralty. In the updated edition of his book, Breathe, he revealed that at the height of the protests over the ultra-low emissions zone expansion he received a bullet in the mail.

The GLA said they had changed the way they announced the location of the venue "for the benefit of all involved, following disruption at previous events".

Neil Garratt AM, assembly member for Croydon and Sutton and leader of City Hall Conservatives, said while "reasonable security measures are prudent, we must not set up a process to vet or deter Londoners from seeing and challenging their mayor, nor make it difficult to attend by concealing the location".

He said Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson "faced tough questions as mayor, but neither shied away from their duty to be publicly accountable to Londoners and Sadiq should meet the same standard".

Garratt added: "He seemed to enjoy playing to the gallery when he thought people were all on his side, but now that people ask difficult questions about his track record, he wants to hide."

Fomer mayors Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson both held People's Question Time events

The ticket registration website warns anyone who is "considered to be a threat to good order" will not be admitted and intimidation, assault on staff, aggressive behaviour, offensive, threatening or abusive language or gestures "will not be tolerated" and will be reported to the police.