Sadiq Khan‘s claim that London is ‘leading the world in its 24-hour policy’ has been blasted by the public, as images show deserted streets following the closure of 1,000 late venues under his reign.
Outrage was sparked earlier this week when the Mayor’s globe-trotting ‘night tsar’ Amy Lamé claimed London ‘has and always will be a 24 hour city’ in a BBC interview.
Khan was even forced to defend Lamé’s £117,000-a-year salary yesterday, insisting it is a ‘really big job’, despite her luxury trips to Australia, Italy and Spain which City Hall described as ‘essential’.
Now, images posted under #LameLondon on X – formerly known as Twitter – show the state of London’s empty streets at night, as some of the capital’s best-known bars face closure.
One user posted a picture of a sign reading ‘no drinks outside after 9.30pm’ on the social media page, complaining ‘London nightlife is practically nonexistent’.
Amy Lamé, pictured with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, has received backlash after claiming London is a 24-hour city
One user on X, formerly known as Twitter, complained London’s nightlife is ‘practically nonexistent’
Another X user showed an empty Kingly Street in Soho from March last year
Another re-posted an image of a deserted Kingly Street in Soho from March last year, saying: ‘I live in Soho and don’t know a pub I can get a drink in post 10.30pm on a weeknight.’
Between 2006 and 2022 it was reported that more than half the capital’s LGBTQ+ venues shut their doors, according to the Telegraph, with the owner of London’s Heaven nightclub also warning the club risks closure due to soaring costs.
An average of two nightclubs also closed every week between March 2020 and December 2023 across the UK, according to the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA).
While London’s night-time economy took a hit from the pandemic plus rising energy and rent costs, the public’s reaction to Khan’s defiance that London’s nightlife is recovering has been stark to see.
Earlier this week, Khan wrote on X: ‘London is leading the world in its 24-hour policy with other global cities looking to us for inspiration.’
A fact-checking note, however, on the social media page corrected the Mayor’s claims, writing: ‘Contrary to the London mayor’s claim, London’s nightlife is in decline, with a number of key clubs and bars being shut down in recent years.’
Studies suggest almost a third of nightclubs have vanished across the country between March 2020 – the month the first Covid-19 pandemic lockdown was declared – and last December.
Some 31 per cent of all venues closed during that period, according to the Night Time Industries Association.
An average of two nightclubs also closed every week between March 2020 and December 2023 across the UK. Pictured: A London street from February this year
Between 2006 and 2022 it was reported that more than half the capital’s LGBTQ + venues shut their doors. Pictured: An empty London street from 2018
The London Mayor has faced heavy criticism for his defence that London is leading the way in terms of being a 24-hour city
And separate research has suggested London has been hit worse than anywhere else in England for pub closures with 46 venues going in just six months, according to real estate analysts Altus Group last October.
The NTIA says across the country there were 10 nightclub closures per month last year, equivalent to two each week.
Famed London venues which have shut their doors in recent years include Printworks in Rotherhithe, Space 289 in Bethnal Green and Werkhaus in Brick Lane.
Founder Jeremy Joseph announced last December he was ‘indefinitely’ closing G-A-Y Late in Soho, blaming a rise in attacks on customers and staff as well as nearby building works.
Other Soho venues which have closed in recent years include The Borderline, which previously hosted gigs by major names such as Amy Winehouse, Blur, Oasis, REM, PJ Harvey, Blondie and Sheryl Crow.
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: ‘The night-time industries across the country have faced huge challenges in recent years, due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic, rising rents and business rates, staffing shortages due to Brexit, and the Government’s cost-of-living and cost-of-doing-business crisis.
‘The Mayor and Night Czar continue to work closely with businesses, venues, boroughs and Londoners to support them throughout these challenges and last year London’s hospitality industry sales outpaced the rest of the UK.
‘They know challenges remain and will continue to do all they can to protect and support venues across the capital and help new ones to open, stand up for the 1.3m Londoners who work evenings and nights to ensure better pay and conditions, and put women’s safety at the heart of our work.’