Andrew Dismore

At today’s Mayor’s Question Time, Andrew Dismore AM, Labour London Assembly member for Barnet and Camden asked Mayor Sadiq Khan to consider making face coverings compulsory on buses and the tube.

Mr Dismore asked the Mayor:
‘You have made clear that you think people on the public transport network should wear face coverings. You asked the Government to make this compulsory, which they have refused to do. Have you considered using your powers to make it a Condition of Carriage to require face coverings, because such a rule could be made pretty quickly, in the same way that smoking was banned after the King’s Cross Fire and more recently, the ban on alcohol consumption. I would suggest that enforcement would be as much by peer pressure as anything else, and such pressure would be strengthened if it was a legal requirement?’
The Mayor said that he first lobbied the Government on this in early April. Non-medical face covering protects others. 10 days ago, the Prime Minister changed his advice where social distancing could not be maintained, like on public transport. He is reviewing this next week, considering the option to make it mandatory. Some services in London are not under his control and he wanted consensus. He will continue to lobby the Government and he hoped they would do the right thing for the rail network as a whole.
After Question Time Mr Dismore said:
‘Whilst many people are using face coverings, and the Mayor has done a lot to make public transport safer, the fact remains that some irresponsible people are not following recommendations to wear face coverings. The Mayor may have to make this compulsory and I believe the time has come, as lockdown eases, for this to be required by the Mayor, if the Government continues to refuse to act’.

Share