Rachel Reeves reportedly told Sadiq Khan to “get out of my office” after the London Mayor asked for additional funding for the capital in a heated showdown.
Khan asked Reeves for more London funding (Image: Getty)
Rachel Reeves kicked Sir Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, out of her office, after he asked for more money for the capital.
Several people familiar with the incident told the media that the Chancellor cut short a scheduled meeting with the Mayor, after heated discussions turned sour.
It has been reported that Ms Reeves told the Mayor: “Get out of my office,” after he failed to negotiate additional funding for the city.
Sadiq Khan has just been awarded sweeping revenue raising powers by the Chancellor, which will see him enabled to slap a tourist tax on London businesses.
The news, reported in the New Statesman Magazine, revealed that tensions have remained extremely high between the government and regional mayors ahead of the budget.
Khan has a budget in excess of £21billion, and has recently increased the congestion charge on electric vehicles, as well as announced additional support from the treasury for the construction of a train line that will cost £500,000 a tree.
He is also paid more than the Prime Minister.
The budget is expected to include a range of tax raising measures for the treasury, including a tax on lattes and milkshakes.
It will also see funding announced for the jobless, with increased benefits payments in the form of a lifting of the 2-child benefit cap.
The change will cost around £2.5billion, and will see families with six or more children get an extra £14,000 a year paid for by the taxpayer.
A reporter for the New Statesman wrote that she had been told Reeves “cut short their scheduled meeting before the second half could begin”.
The disagreement is not the first between the Mayor and the Government.
He previously attacked the Government for improperly funding the capital, after they would not give him billions for a new tube line.
