Sadiq Khan's oversight of the Crossrail fiasco was called into question today as secret documents revealed his spin doctors were drafting crisis plans almost a fortnight before the date on which he claims he discovered the line would not open on time.
Documents obtained by the Evening Standard under Freedom of Information laws show the first of 10 draft press releases, announcing the axing of last December’s royal opening, were sent by Crossrail to Transport for London on August 17 last year.
This was 12 days before the Mayor says he was told the cross-London rail line could not open as planned.
Crossrail announced on August 31 last year that the line would not open as planned on December 9.
Last month Crossrail chiefs admitted they now have no idea when the line, which has soared £2.8 billion over budget to £17.6 billion, would open.
Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly member who is leading its investigation into the fiasco, said: “The Mayor’s repeated claims that he only knew about the delayed opening date of the central section of Crossrail just two days before the public announcement are now even harder to believe.
“If the Mayor, who is the chair of TfL, really wants to hold the line that he knew nothing until August 29, the only possible explanation he can now peddle is that he is kept in the complete dark by the very organisation he is supposed to be in charge of.”
The first press release said Crossrail’s central section would open in “summer 2019”. The final draft replaced this with “Autumn 2019”, axed a reference to it being “fully open by December 2019” and downplayed TfL’s role.
TfL said the draft press releases, which were shared with City Hall, were “prudent scenario planning”. Sources insisted today that the media plans “were not discussed with the Mayor”.
