London issues that could cause friction between Keir Starmer and Sadiq Khan after Labor landslide

Sir Keir Starmer became prime minister earlier after the Labor Party won a stunning victory in the general election. While this has created a sense of relief in the Labour-led London Mayor’s office, there are some issues that could cause friction between the Prime Minister and Sadiq Khan.

After the Tories lost key seats to Labour, including three in north-west London – Finchley and Golders Green, Hendon (by just 15 votes) and Chipping Barnet (for the first time) – Sadiq Khan said on Friday (July 5) to BBC that he would work closely with the new Prime Minister.

He said: “I will work with him (Sir Keir) straight away; I contacted him today. I will make sure that, you know, a Labor government and I as mayor, (the city) work as closely as possible with it.

READ MORE: Hendon 2024 general election results as Labor wins by just 15 votes

“Look, for the last eight years we’ve had a Conservative government that has stood in our way, instead of working with us for the benefit of our city and our country, working against us. That will not happen with a Labor government. “

But it may not all be sweetness and light in the coming years. Despite outward appearances, the two men apparently did not always see eye to eye on certain issues.

Central government cash

Sadiq Khan has again and again asked for more money from the government while it was led by the Tories. We will wait to see if the money is still being fought over despite the manpower takeover.

If there will be, it would most likely be less public and more behind the scenes. When she spoke to MyLondon in the final days of the general election campaign, now Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, for example, did not guarantee extra money for the Metropolitan Police Service to plug what the mayor called a “black hole” in funding.

Mr Khan said in March that the force needed £240m in extra government funding. Asked if she foresaw any fight with the mayor over money, Ms Rayner said: “I think Sadiq has done an extraordinary job in very difficult circumstances.”

She added that the party’s proposed tax reforms – including removing a VAT exemption for private schools and further reforming non-dom tax status – would “help support public services in the short term”. “Whether it’s a Tory council or whether it’s a Labor mayor, I think everyone will recognize that the Tories nationally have been a disaster for our public services,” Ms Rayner added.

Mr Khan also spoke of a TfL funding shortfall. Rachel Reeves, the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, told MyLondon in April that she would not guarantee cash for big London infrastructure projects such as the extension of the Bakerloo and Elizabeth lines and the construction of Crossrail 2.

She said: “I’ve always been clear, I’m not going to make any commitments without being able to say where the money is going to come from.” Mr Starmer himself did not explicitly promise to provide the extra money in June. Sir Keir said to me: “Well, look, we’ll work together.

“He has good plans for transportation. He has good plans for housing – one of our missions is to build 1.5 million homes – working together with the mayor we can deliver on these much-needed promises for the country.”

Green action

Sadiq Khan has placed what he calls the “twin challenges” of air pollution and climate change at the forefront of his agenda. This, of course, includes its expansion of ULEZ in London last year.

But this has sparked apparent friction between the London mayor and his party leader. Ed Miliband, who was appointed Energy Secretary today, told MyLondon during the mayoral election campaign in the spring that the Labor leadership now unequivocally supports Sadiq Khan’s decision.

It comes after Sir Keir said the party must be doing something “very wrong” about extending the capital’s £12.50 charge to drive a non-compliant vehicle after the Tories won the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-elections this year last. However, Mr Miliband did not suggest that other cities across the country should have their own version of ULEZ. Uxbridge & South Ruislip was won by Labor in a close contest, reversing a short-term swing to the Tories.

Mr Milliband said: “I’m not going to support that, no, that’s a matter for local leaders to make their own decisions about what’s right for their areas.”

Sir Keir must take into account how the policies would go down with voters across the country, some of whom are not very keen to interfere too much in their lives in the name of protecting the environment and reducing climate change. Meanwhile, Mr Khan claims the Conservatives made the mayoral race a referendum on ULEZ and he won it. If the mayor – who will be thinking first and foremost about the prospects of Londoners – were to pursue another controversial green policy, could tensions rise again?

London’s Green Belt

Labor said during the general election campaign that it would “take a more strategic approach to designating Green Belt land and releasing it to build more homes in the right places”. The party added: “Priority will be given to releasing lower quality ‘grey belt’ land and we will introduce ‘golden rules’ to ensure development benefits communities and nature.”

London Mayor Sadiq Khan previously said he intended to stop “inappropriate attempts to designate the Green Belt” and that “boundaries should only be changed in exceptional circumstances”. He told the London Assembly in 2021: “My London Plan makes it clear that the Green Belt should be protected from inappropriate development.

“However, the National Planning Policy Framework allows Green Belt development if very special circumstances can be demonstrated. The same applies to neighborhoods proposing to remove Green Center designations from their local plans.”

The Metropolitan Green Belt is the designated area in and around Greater London. It now covers parts of 68 different districts or boroughs. In its manifesto, Labor also says it will support “urban sprawl and regeneration projects”. It remains to be seen how the government’s and Mr Khan’s interpretation of how and when the Green Belt should be released remains to be seen.

Control of commuter railways

Labor promised to bring the railways into public ownership. His manifesto said: “We will do this as contracts with existing operators expire or are breached by non-compliance, without costing the taxpayer a penny in compensation.

“Great British Railways will deliver a unified system that focuses on reliable, affordable, high quality and efficient services; along with ensuring safety and accessibility. He will be responsible for investment, day-to-day operational delivery and innovation and improvement for passengers, working with publicly owned rail operators in Wales and Scotland.”

MyLondon reported on June 6 that this meant Mr Khan may have to change his promise to bring London’s commuter rail services under TfL control as Labour’s intervention. TfL control, creating a ‘groundbreaking tube-style’ system. There will need to be a negotiation between the Mayor and the Government about how rail services in London are managed.

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