Sadiq Khan has defended himself against claims of “rainbow-washing”, after refusing to criticise Pride in London’s decision to make United Airlines its headline sponsor.
The mayor was also challenged about the fact that United Airlines covered the cost of him and his team to fly to, from and across America last year, thought to be worth several thousands of pounds.
Zack Polanski, the Green Party’s deputy leader and a member of the London Assembly, accused Mr Khan of failing to show “climate leadership” by not criticising the sponsorship decision.
At a Mayor’s Question Time session on Thursday, Mr Polanski asked Mr Khan: “Does the headline sponsor of Pride in London this year demonstrate leadership in tackling the climate crisis?”
The mayor said pride attracts “support from all sorts of businesses, charities and organisations”, and that this was “a positive thing, as standing together is a key element of the movement for LGBTQI+ equality”.
He pointed out that City Hall’s funding for the event covers less than a tenth of its total cost, with Pride in London having to find the remaining funds in difficult economic circumstances.
“Public money can only go so far, so looking to commercial sponsors to support the Pride in London event is vital for its continuation,” he said.
“Pride in London carries out the selection and vetting process for sponsors of the event, and in the case of this year’s headline sponsors, Pride in London will have reviewed their corporate responsibility report and paid close attention to their environment strategy and climate-related initiatives,” he added.
Mr Polanski claimed Mr Khan was allowing “a big carbon polluter to greenwash, or rainbow-wash in this circumstance, using Pride”.
He asked the mayor: “Can’t you see these sponsorship opportunities are an opportunity for these companies to launder their reputation, and whether its a tenth, or 100 per cent, you’re allowing them to do that?”
Mr Khan replied: “The question implies that it’s me that decides, City Hall that decides, in relation to these issues. Pride in London have issued a statement in relation to the issue raised…
“What [they] say… is Pride in London welcomes a diverse array of sponsors who undergo vetting to ensure their alignment with our core values of visibility, unity, equality, and a strong commitment to social and environmental responsibility…
“As one of the world’s leading airlines, United Airlines exemplifies a commitment to excellence in both service and sustainability.
“United Airlines’ corporate responsibility report is available publicly and addresses the topic of environmental sustainability. United Airlines’ environmental commitment is also available online.
“It goes on to say United Airlines is the first major US airline to invest in carbon capture, supporting the work of 1PointFive, who are building the world’s largest direct air capture facility.
“United Airlines has set a voluntary net zero target by 2050 and committed not to rely on the use of carbon offsets to reach that target. The company has also set commitments to release the percentage of sustainable fuels used.”
But Mr Polanski questioned City Hall’s own relationship with United Airlines.
He told the mayor: “They funded you, deputy mayors, and your team of officials’ trip to America last May [2022], and they gave tens of thousands of pounds worth of free flights…
“Is thousands of pounds in free flights the going rate for a supposedly green mayor?”
Mr Khan said he thought Mr Polanski would later “reflect” on his comments, and that he looked forward to celebrating Pride in London.
It was revealed at a recent meeting of City Hall’s oversight committee that United Airlines covered the costs of flights for the mayor and his team, which included journeys from London to New York, New York to San Francisco, San Francisco to Los Angeles and Los Angeles back to London.
A spokesman for the mayor said after Thursday’s meeting: “Sadiq’s visit to America was the first international mission by the Mayor since the start of the pandemic and an opportunity to promote tourism to London and showcase the capital to businesses, investors, entrepreneurs and students in the world’s largest economy.
“In order to reduce the cost of the visit, City Hall secured an agreement for a group flight package with United Airlines, where only taxes and fees were payable.
“This one-off agreement did not result in a formal partnership between the Greater London Authority and United Airlines.”
Approached for comment on the row, United Airlines provided a copy of their publicly-available sustainability report, which sets out their ambition “to play a key role in making air travel more sustainable”.
