Boris Johnson flew out to the world financial summit in Davos today where he is on a mission to persuade the owners of “some truly whopping chequebooks” to invest in London.
The Mayor will take a scheduled flight to Zurich and travel by car to the ski resort where he will be joined by George Osborne later today and by Nick Clegg tomorrow.
David Cameron is expected to arrive by military jet tomorrow after attending an event in the Britain first.
The men will embark on whistlestop tours of the World Economic Forum to meet business leaders, opinion formers and politicians.
Mr Johnson’s meetings include the opening address at the main private session on cities, as well as addressing events hosted by Morgan Stanley and Coca-Cola.
During the two-day trip, he will attend 15 other events where the real work of driving investment in the capital will be done. On previous trips, he secured funding for the Barclays bike hire scheme, the Emirates cable car, and the ArcelorMittal Orbit.
Mr Johnson told the Standard: “For the next 48 hours, I will be in the immediate vicinity of the owners of some truly whopping chequebooks. These people are heavy-hitters with the potential to invest billions in our city. I am on a mission to persuade them to invest in projects that would provide new jobs and growth in London.”
The Mayor, whose trip is funded by London taxpayers, will be joined by his chief economic advisor Gerard Lyons and chief of staff Sir Ed Lister.
Hollywood actor Matt Damon was given a Crystal Award for his humanitarian work, including founding Water.org, whose motto is “safe water and the dignity of a toilet for all”.
