Sadiq Khan’s London Growth Plan is an admirable and ambitious vision for the capital, but its bold projections should be taken with a pinch of salt, says James Ford

When running for his historic third term last year, Sadiq Khan claimed to be the “most pro-business Mayor ever”. Now he is putting his money where his mouth is, publishing his London Growth Plan that sets out a bold, ambitious vision for the capital which, the Mayor claims, will “turbocharge” London’s economy to the tune of £107bn over the next decade and create 150,000 jobs. The plan is specific about how it will boost income for both the exchequer (annual tax revenues projected to increase by £27bn) and citizens (an extra £11,000 a year in Londoner’s pockets) by 2035.

The London Growth Plan has much to commend it. It offers much needed policy detail to flesh out one of the Mayor’s biggest manifesto commitments (and address one of London’s most pressing policy challenges – sustained economic growth). The geographical areas, business sectors and economic trends that are projected to be critical to delivering growth – East London, financial services, green growth, and AI – are precisely those that London policy experts would expect. The delivery partners identified as being crucial to making the plan a reality – London Councils, the capital’s public sector and business – are credible and their inclusion is reassuring. Even the acknowledgement that the critical infrastructure to support growth includes not just the obvious ‘big ticket’ items like transport connections and housing capacity but also the all-too-often overlooked essentials like energy, water, waste and digital connectivity will satisfy the most sceptical London policy wonks. So far, so good.

Worrying flaws

But, for all its laudable ambition, there remain some worrying flaws in Sadiq Khan’s London Growth Plan.........

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