London Tory mayoral candidate Susan Hall is still debating whether to appoint a Night Czar if elected, with only ten days until Londoners vote. Hall has repeatedly criticized current Night Czar Amy Lamé, labeling her the “poster child” of Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan’s alleged “chumocracy” at City Hall.
While the Conservative candidate intends to dismiss Lamé, her manifesto does not specify whether she would eliminate the role or hire a replacement. Khan established the position shortly after his 2016 election, promising in his manifesto that year that the Czar would “champion London’s vibrant night-time economy”.
Hall, who has criticized Lamé as part of a “merry-go-round of mediocrity” in Khan’s administration, confirmed that if she hires a replacement, their salary would be lower than the current £117,000 annual compensation. “This is taxpayers’ money,” she said. “This is money that is Londoners’ money, and to throw it at your friends is a damned disgrace, isn’t it?”
In a Standard article last month, Hall criticized Lamé’s appointment as “screaming of nepotism,” claiming she is “a buddy of Sadiq Khan” and a “Labour member and activist.” She also noted: “Up in Manchester, they have a Night Czar that brings their expertise for much less. He does it for nothing.”
Responding to a question on Monday about whether she would appoint a “chum” herself, she stated: “I don’t have any political chums – absolutely not. I will not put so-called friends in positions, I will put people in who know how to do the job, because I am very serious about getting things right in London – and the only way you can do that isn’t by putting your mates in, it’s by putting experts in.”
The mayor has denied allegations that Lamé was hired through “nepotism,” stating in 2016 that she was “appointed through an open, robust and transparent recruitment process.” He told Times Radio in March that he believes her work is a good value for London, while Lamé has argued that her role is essential “to support and supercharge the capital’s life at night.”
Outlining her plans for London’s night economy, Hall said her promise to extend the Night Tube to the Hammersmith and City line, with further lines hopefully to follow, would significantly aid the capital’s nightlife. The Tory candidate added: “But it’s not just that – we need to make sure that the streets are safer, because if your customers come and witness nothing but gangs running around with machetes, they’re not going to want to come again.”
“So nightlife, I absolutely support, but I will support it with all the other things that the mayor is supposed to get right. Because Sadiq Khan is getting everything wrong at the moment, it’s having a terrible impact on businesses.”
In his own manifesto released last week, Khan expressed pride in fulfilling his 2016 pledge “to be the most pro-business mayor yet, working in partnership with businesses to boost skills provision, infrastructure and growth.” Regarding crime, he said that “despite our population rising by more than a million people, we have seen a reduction in homicides, gun crime, burglary and the number of young people being injured with knives in London since 2016,” but he argued that “national cuts since 2010 have been a disaster for combatting crime across the country.”
The London mayoral election will be held on Thursday, May 2, along with elections for the London Assembly.
