London is the greatest city in the world, a mayor and a Lord Mayor aren’t sufficient to sing its successes on the international stage, says Eliot Wilson
Two mayoral elections in three years have left London politics rancorous, mean and bitterly divided. The postponement of 2020’s election due to Covid-19 was inevitable, and, with a general election still to come in the next six to eight months, things will probably get worse before they get better. When we get to 2025, however, anyone with a stake in London’s success, from politicians and business leaders to commuters and council tax payers, will have to realise that we are all in this together.
This month’s mayoral election was fought on an understandably domestic agenda: police and crime, housing, transport. But London is more than just a collection of nine million people. It is one of the greatest cities in the world, a place everyone has heard of and of which everyone has some vague impression or mental image, however partial or hackneyed. It is one of the biggest global tourist destinations, it remains a pre-eminent international financial hub and has the busiest airspace of any city in the world. Being London means being internationally visible and successful.
The Lord Mayor of London, as leader of the City of London Corporation, represents the Square Mile and is now regarded as the champion of UK financial services everywhere. Michael Mainelli, the 695th Lord Mayor, holds one of the oldest continuously elected offices anywhere, and his ambassadorial work abroad is priceless. As a figurehead for financial services, however, he cannot be expected to bang the drum for everything the capital has to offer, and it would dilute his message if we expected him to do so. Maybe something else, complementary and additional, is needed.
Three years ago I suggested that London should have some kind of specialist reputation in every British embassy and high commission. The question I posed was simple: “London is our greatest economic centre, a global player and the UK’s chief glory on the world stage. How can we promote it better?” The question still stands, and maybe we need a single point of contact, an identifiable figure whose sole task is to fly the flag of London – the whole capital city and its ecosystem, not just the Square Mile – around the world.
We need someone who can talk about the Museum of London’s new home at West Smithfield and the re-opened National Portrait Gallery; about Disney’s work at Pinewood Studios; about the cutting-edge research at the Francis Crick Institute at King’s Cross; about London’s strength in media, publishing and advertising; about the laundry list of famous names in retail and hospitality the capital offers – Harrods, Selfridges, the Ritz, the Connaught, the Savoy, Bond Street, Hatton Garden, Sexy Fish, the Ivy.
Sadiq Khan cannot give himself body and soul to this. Even with 10 deputy mayors and a night czar, his agenda is straining at the seams. While I have a deep-seated suspicion of the ‘depoliticisation’ of politics, there is a role here for someone who is not defined primarily by allegiance to a political party.
How would they fit in, in structural terms? That network of embassy staff I proposed three years ago would be a good start. They would need to work seamlessly alongside both the Mayor and the Lord Mayor, and ensure that turf wars were settled behind closed doors. But none of this is insuperable. Nor is it really an area in which wide-ranging executive powers or a substantial budget would be needed. A small staff and an uncomplaining acceptance by others of a large travel budget would go most of the way.
No-one wants to pretend that London is free from problems or disadvantages. Anyone who lives here sees them every day. But it is proverbial that Londoners can ignore some of the greatest things about the city from sheer familiarity, and we need to remember that, when the stars are aligned, London has an allure and depth of qualities which are matched by only a handful for urban centres anywhere.
Trench warfare will go on over law and order and rental prices and the cost of living: and so it should. At the same time, we need a figure of global stature to tell our neighbours and competitors that this is the greatest city on earth, and they should visit, invest or relocate. As to who that might be, well, answers on a postcard, please…
Eliot Wilson is co-founder of Pivot Point Group