London mayor uses Singapore trip to court investment

Sir Sadiq Khan has used a visit to Singapore to promote London as a leading global destination for investment, as he seeks to strengthen ties with a major Asian financial centre.

London's mayor is attending the World Cities Summit, where political leaders, planners and business executives are discussing infrastructure, housing and long-term urban growth.

During the trip, he collected the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize - one of the most prestigious awards in urban planning - awarded to London in recognition of what organisers described as the capital's transformation over the past decade.

Speaking to the BBC, Sir Sadiq said the award reflected sustained investment in the city's infrastructure.

"The judges recognised the transformation of our city over the last 10 years - the investment in cleaner air, public transport, the Elizabeth line and regenerating parts of our city," he said.

"We know that Singapore invests hugely in London, from Paddington to Piccadilly, from Monzo to Heathrow. Metroline buses, big investment from Singapore. At the same time, we in London invest in Singapore."

Singapore is often seen as a model for urban planning in a dense space, particularly its investment in public transport, green spaces and clean energy.

As part of the visit, Sir Sadiq toured Gardens by the Bay, a large-scale waterfront development, often cited as an example of integrated urban design.

He also visited Lau Pa Sat, a local food market in the heart of Singapore's financial district. There he tasted durian - a Southeast Asian fruit known for its strong smell and for dividing opinion.

Alongside the investment pitch, Sir Sadiq raised concerns about what he described as online disinformation about London, which he says is affecting its global reputation.

"We know social media has been used as a platform by bad state actors, whether that's in China, Russia, or the Make America Great Again actors in the USA," he said.

"We also know people in this part of the world, in Southeast Asia, Japan, China and elsewhere, sometimes are spreading some of these lies, spreading the misinformation, spreading the disinformation," he added.

He also linked criticism of London to political figures including US President Donald Trump, saying that London is often targeted because it is diverse, progressive and multicultural.

Trump has previously described Sir Sadiq as a "terrible mayor" and has made repeated claims about London, including that crime is "through the roof" and that parts of the city are moving towards "Sharia law", all of which are strongly disputed by City Hall.

"We're not perfect," Sir Sadiq said, adding that London's international recognition, including the World Cities Prize, showed it was being "voted objectively the greatest city in the world".

"We know literally millions of people come from across the globe to London as a tourist, hundreds of thousands come to study and billions of pounds are invested in London. So we're going to robustly defend our city."

The mayor is to spend £7m on a campaign to showcase London to the world and tackle online disinformation.

His approach has been criticised by Conservative member of the London Assembly Susan Hall, who questioned the focus on disinformation funding.

"He's putting millions into looking at online disinformation and I don't want anonymous trolls obviously to make up lies about the city, but the mayor can't try and suggest that anyone critical of his failure or record of failure is among those ranks. He just should be at home sorting issues out."

She added that resources would be better directed towards policing, warning of falling officer numbers and saying London "can't afford to lose" more Metropolitan Police officers.

The trip is likely to face further scrutiny in the UK, where opposition politicians have questioned the value of overseas promotional visits at a time of pressure on housing, transport and the cost of living.

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