The mayor’s reckless promise of lower fare Fridays is a sign of more disingenuous politicking to come, writes John Oxley
While Westminster talks about when a general election might be, the London mayoral contest is speeding towards us. There are now just three months until the capital goes to the polls and the campaigning is kicking up a gear – with the giveaways and campaign pledges starting to emerge. With the race far from competitive, however, these campaign time bungs could just end up costing Londoners in the long run.
Incumbent and frontrunner Sadiq Khan has already unveiled two eye-catching pledges. First came a year-long freeze on pay-as-you-go fares for public transport, handily teed up to cover the election period. Then came a more innovative pledge to make Fridays ‘Off Peak’ only for the next three months. It’s pitched as a plan to woo commuters back from working from home and to re-establish Fridays as the new........