A secret venue in Wandsworth has been chosen as the location for the next People’s Question Time event, where Londoners will have the chance to put questions directly to Sadiq Khan.
The Q&A session on Thursday, December 12, will mark the first time in almost two years that the mayor’s twice-annual event has taken place outside City Hall.
As a new measure to prevent “disruption” however, the event’s precise location will only be given to ticket holders on Monday, December 9.
Mr Khan has required police protection and has faced death threats throughout his mayoralty. In the updated edition of his book, Breathe, he told readers that at the height of the protests over his Ultra low emission zone (Ulez) expansion last year, he received a bullet in the mail.
Ordinarily, People’s Question Time takes place in a different London borough roughly every six months, but the last two were held under tightened security at the mayor’s east London HQ, amid concerns over his safety.
The last time the event took place outside City Hall was in March 2023 in Ealing, where Mr Khan sparked anger from many in the audience after saying that some anti-Ulez protesters were “joining hands” with the “far right”, including “Covid deniers” and “vaccine deniers”.
The next session was meant to take place in November 2023 in Westminster, but was moved to the chamber of City Hall due to growing fears over the mayor’s security. At that event, an anti-Ulez protester was fined for trying to put up a small sticker showing Mr Khan with a pair of testicles around his neck.
The following session, in February 2024, should have taken place in Richmond, but was again held in City Hall - only this time, it was conducted virtually, with no audience able to attend the session in person, and the mayor answering questions via video link in his office.
Asked whether it was due to there being fewer security concerns that the event can now return to its borough-visiting format, a spokesman for the Greater London Authority said: “People’s Question Time is a key opportunity for Londoners to engage directly with the mayor and London Assembly members and discuss the issues they care about.
“We are committed to ensuring the event can take place safely and securely in-person for attendees and participants, and have made a change in the way that we announce the location of the venue following disruption at previous events.”
Attendees will have to go through an airport-style security screening and present ID.
Registration for tickets closes at 11:59pm on Wednesday, December 4. Further details can be found at: https://www.london.gov.uk/events/peoples-question-time-wandsworth
