'Londoners are not stupid': Sadiq Khan warns against 'berating people' to return to offices

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Sadiq Khan has stated that “Londoners are not stupid” and called for “honesty” around potential issues with a large-scale return to offices.

The Mayor’s comments come amid a government drive to get white-collar workers, many of whom have been working from home since March, back into offices as schools return.

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab has told commuters to get back to their desks because so many people remote working is “damaging to the economy”.

But the Mayor said on Monday that “berating people or shouting at them to return to central London” is “counterproductive”. He argued that City Hall’s latest poll numbers show Londoners are scared about the health consequences of an imminent return to the office, especially ahead of a potential winter outbreak of Covid-19.

Mr Khan said: “Londoners aren’t stupid – they read about the rising number of cases across Europe and predictions that a second wave here in the UK could be even worse than the first. That’s why berating people or shouting at them to return to central London is a counterproductive approach. It simply won’t work.

“We must be honest that the health and economic crises caused by this pandemic are interlinked and cannot be separated. The truth is, as long as social distancing rules are in place, there is a limit to how many people can safely return to workplaces. This is the reality we have to face as we plan for our city’s future over the coming months.”

The Mayor highlighted latest research from the Greater London Authority (GLA) on what Londoners are saying would encourage them to “return to life as normal, and to start travelling into central London more”.

Nearly two thirds of Londoners polled said they view the virus as at least a moderate risk to themselves, and 86 per cent as a risk to others. City Hall revealed that those polled said they would be encouraged back by factors including “lower prevalence of the virus” and “smaller crowds”.

Pre-pandemic London was one of the busiest and most crowded capitals in Europe, with millions of people using a busy Transport for London (TfL) network to get into the City and other high-density, office-filled areas daily. Social distancing rules mean that many offices are now unable to accommodate the number of staff they would have done before Covid-19.

Currently most are operating at a fraction of normal capacity, while public transport use is down significantly on normal levels.

Britain has seen far fewer staff return to offices than other major European cities, and large employers, such as NatWest and RBS, have told employees to expect to be working from home until 2021.

Latest City Hall polling showed Londoners are still concerned by the virus, Mr Khan said
AFP via Getty Images

This week accountancy firm PwC warned that remote working could cost the British economy £15.3bn a year due to the impact on jobs reliant on commuter footfall.

A rumoured government publicity blitz urging commuters back to the office planned for September has allegedly been scrapped, and Conservative backbenchers have criticised the government for its mixed messaging on whether staff should return to workplaces.

The government has defended its position.

Mr Raab told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday that “it is important to send the message that we need to get Britain back up and running, the economy motoring on all cylinders.”

He added: "The economy needs to have people back at work, unless - and this is really important - there's a good health reason why it shouldn't happen, or unless the employer can't put in place the Covid-secure workplace we all need. But employers are doing that.”

Mr Khan made the comments as he announced a survey of London businesses aimed at “providing a major snapshot of the position of London offices now” with regard to safe return capacity, and “where businesses expect to be in six months”. He said the aim was to work out the best way for City Hall to provide support for businesses.

The Mayor said he is “focused on working with TfL to make sure transport is as safe as it can possibly be and to let Londoners know that they can they can visit London’s cultural attractions and hospitality businesses more than they currently are, particularly at times when the transport network is quiet”.

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