Transport for London Workers Splash Cash on Fast Food

Sadiq Khan, the Labour mayor of London, is facing accusations of hypocrisy after it was revealed that transport workers spent £5,000 of taxpayers’ money on junk food last year. This comes after Transport for London (TfL), under Khan's direction, banned fatty food advertisements on the entire network in an effort to combat obesity.

Greggs Takes the Biggest Slice of the Pie

TfL workers spent a whopping £3,000 at Greggs, a popular bakery chain. Additionally, they splurged £850 at McDonald's, nearly £600 at Domino's Pizza, £300 at Nando's, and £270 at Five Guys. Other expenses included £180 at Papa John's, £95 at Pizza Express, £50 at Subway, and £20 at Burger King. There were also £4,300 worth of expenses for meals and refreshments where the business name was redacted.

Accusations of Hypocrisy and Wasted Taxpayer Money

Tory Mayoral candidate Susan Hall criticized Khan, stating, "Sadiq Khan's hypocrisy knows no bounds. While hectoring Londoners about obesity and banning fast food ads on the Tube, his own staff at TfL are forking out thousands of taxpayers' money on the likes of McDonald's, Domino's Pizza, Nandos, and Five Guys. I will get a grip of TfL's finances and put a stop to this nonsense."

Tory MP Louie French echoed these sentiments, saying, "Whilst I would never judge anyone for having a KFC or a McDonald's, I don't believe that London taxpayers should be paying the Big Mac bills."

TfL's Junk Food Ban Leads to Bizarre Situations

TfL's ban on junk food advertisements has resulted in some peculiar situations. For example, a poster promoting a West End play featuring a cake was banned, and an artisanal cheese advert was prohibited for promoting an unhealthy diet.

Chris Loder, a Tory MP for West Dorset, criticized Khan, stating, "Seems like Sadiq wants everyone else to give up fast food, whilst making them pay for his staff."

Response from Khan's Camp

A source close to Sadiq Khan defended the expenses, stating, "TfL has a workforce of over 27,000 people, and these expenses relate to exceptional circumstances when staff have worked on major incidents and events outside normal working hours – often throughout the night. It’s about giving hard-working staff easier access to food out of hours – an odd thing for the Tory candidate to be so angry about."

A TfL spokesperson reiterated this, saying, "TfL staff work night and day in order to keep London moving, and these expenses relate to when staff have worked on managing major incidents and events, outside of standard working hours or on Bank Holidays when access to food outlets is limited. Every expense must comply with TfL's expenses policy with prior approval from the relevant manager."