'It's like living in South Kensington and complaining about museums': Sadiq Khan takes aim at 'silly' Soho residents' society over nightlife objections
The Mayor's comments come amid an ongoing feud with The Soho Society
Sir Sadiq Khan has branded complaints from Soho residents about plans to keep bars and pubs in the area open at night as "a bit silly".
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The London Mayor's comments come amid an ongoing feud with The Soho Society, which recently voted in its AGM for a new licensing mandate that will see it challenge all new applications for bars and restaurants in the central London area, including renewals of existing licences.
The Society argues that as nightlife in the area has intensified, the infrastructure needed to accommodate it has not kept pace with that growth, most notably in policing, dispersal plans, and safety.
But restaurant and bar owners have previously hit out at the Soho Society’s plans, warning it could “destroy Soho’s reputation on the international stage” as the entertainment district of the capital.
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Complaining about nightlife when you *checks notes* choose to live in Soho is like living in South Kensington and complaining about the museums.⁰⁰Or moving to Hackney and grumbling about creatives. Living in Richmond and hating green space. ⁰⁰It's all getting a bit silly,…
— Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (@MayorofLondon) June 11, 2026
Sir Sadiq took to social media on Thursday to criticise those making the complaints, he has previously said that "NIMBY" councillors from Westminster Council are holding up plans to get the city's nighttime economy booming.
He wrote on X: "Complaining about nightlife when you *checks notes* choose to live in Soho is like living in South Kensington and complaining about the museums.
"Or moving to Hackney and grumbling about creatives.
"Living in Richmond and hating green space.
"It's all getting a bit silly, isn't it?"
When the row first broke out, Sir Sadiq said Oxford Street has been on the decline for the last 30 years because “you've got NIMBY councillors on either side of that street saying no to any progress".
He added that he is “incredibly frustrated” that the situation is the same for the nighttime economy, with people having nowhere to go out at night in the heart of London despite five Tubes lines open late and a record numbers of night buses running.
"That's why I asked the government to allow me to take up Oxford Street and pedestrianise it, because the NIMBY council refused to make progress on that street.
“And the same goes for the nighttime economy. I'm incredibly frustrated. I've got five tubes open at the night time, I've got record numbers of night buses. They’ve got nowhere to go to because you can't go to a decent club or a decent bar after a certain time of the day.”
He added that if you've chosen to live next to a pub doing live music or a nightclub “in the centre of the greatest city in the world” you should expect and accept to hear some noise at nighttime.