Sadiq Khan meets Philip Hammond with ‘wish list’ of London powers

Sadiq Khan was holding talks with Philip Hammond today to present his “wish list” for London ahead of next week’s autumn statement.

The Mayor is pushing the Chancellor for fresh devolution powers over public services, as well as over some taxes, arguing it would help the capital to thrive after Brexit.

At the Treasury meeting today he was expected to call for more housing funding, streamlined planning powers and for the capital to control the Government’s flagship work programme.

Mr Hammond has appeared more willing than some of his predecessors to talk about devolution and has even appointed a senior Treasury civil servant to oversee which powers could be handed out.

Experts called Mr Khan’s chances of getting a positive result from the autumn statement “better than evens” but there is still some way to go.

City Hall insiders claimed the Mayor had been “working his socks off” with ministers to try to achieve his devolution ambitions.

Mr Khan argues that handing more powers to London will also boost jobs and growth elsewhere.

Discussions are also taking place about how the Mayor could have more strategic control of business rates under Government plans to devolve them in their entirety to local councils.

The Mayor’s wish list includes beefed-up criminal justice powers, more control over skills, suburban rail services and aspects of the NHS.

He has already reconvened the London Finance Commission to draw up proposals to take to ministers.

Professor Tony Travers of the London School of Economics said: “The Mayor has a better than evens chance of achieving further devolution.

"The question is: how radical will a powerful Conservative government want to be in giving more powers to a newly elected and popular Labour Mayor?”

He added: “Devolution of services and taxation powers would address one of the many problems revealed by the Brexit vote: people feel cut off from the decisions that affect their lives.

"It would also be in the Treasury’s interests to liberate London’s government to generate more growth and taxation.”