Tories refer Sadiq Khan to watchdog over decision to save police station amid by-election battle

The Conservatives in London have referred Sadiq Khan to a watchdog for allegedly breaking City Hall rules by intervening to save a police station at the centre of a by-election row.

Mr Khan had claimed “victory” after writing to Sir Mark Rowley, the Met Commissioner, to say the police station in Boris Johnson’s former constituency of Uxbridge and Ruislip should now remain open.

Uxbridge was among dozens of stations across London earmarked for closure and had been a major talking point ahead of the election of a new MP later this month, with Labour hopeful of winning the seat from the Tories.

Mr Khan, who claims he acted after “listening to local residents”, was referred to the Greater London Assembly’s monitoring officer on Monday.

In a letter seen by The Telegraph, Neil Garratt, the City Hall Conservatives leader, wrote: “It would be absurd to believe that, six years after it was first proposed, the Mayor happens to have had a sudden and considered change of heart on this in the final three weeks…

“Not doing as such was likely to be politically damaging to the Labour candidate and beneficial to the Conservative one.

“Similarly, the Mayor also has an obligation under the Code to ‘ensure that [GLA] resources are not used improperly for political purposes’… The drafting and publication of his letter would certainly qualify as such in my view.”

U-turn

Susan Hall, one of two remaining Tory mayoral hopefuls on the shortlist to face Mr Khan at next year’s election, added: “He has U-turned only because his disastrous Ulez expansion is threatening Labour’s prospects of winning the by-election.”

In the Commons, Chris Philp, the policing minister, noted Mr Khan had announced plans to close 37 police stations and claimed it was the “resolute campaigning” of grassroots Tories that has ensured Uxbridge will stay open.

Voters in Uxbridge and South Ruislip go to the polls on July 20, with a forecast by Electoral Calculus suggesting Mr Johnson’s former seat will turn red.

A London Labour spokesman said: “Sadiq has taken on board the views of local residents and campaigners and expressed his view that Uxbridge police station should remain open.

“After years of damaging Tory cuts, Sadiq is proud to be once again restoring neighbourhood policing to our local communities.”

A spokesman for Mr Khan was contacted for comment.