Sadiq Khan: Platinum Jubilee is the 'catalyst' for English economic recovery
5 June 2022, 17:32
Platinum Jubilee has contributed £1.2bn to the economy
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said that the Queen's Platinum Jubilee is the "catalyst" the country needed for a "V-shaped" economic recovery, as inspired tourists book trips to visit England.
It comes after the Queen appeared in hologram form beamed onto the historic Gold Stage Coach, which is leading her Platinum Jubilee Pageant through the centre of London.
The procession, which featured 6,000 performers, moved from Horse Bank Parade through Westminster to Buckingham Palace, where the Queen made another balcony appearance.
It was led by a military contingent drawn from all three UK armed services and a number of other Commonwealth countries.
Mr Khan told Swarbrick on Sunday: "I've been speaking to people from all across the globe who've been enjoying London over the last few days, and I'll tell you an amazing stat - we think this weekend there are more than 2.6 million domestic and international tourists in our great city.
"In the West end alone, they've spent more than £80 million.
"People from across the globe who'll have seen the images this weekend will book to come this summer, later on this year, supporting our city's recovery, so it's great news all around."
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Tom asked Mr Khan: "Does anything about the cost of this event over the last few days sit uncomfortably with you given the times we're in?"
"Not at all," Mr Khan said, insisting that many companies had paid for the Jubilee pageant.
Mr Khan continued: "Visit England have said they've seen bookings over the last weekend meaning that's contributed £1.2bn towards our economy.
"It's really important that we have a V-shaped recovery and this is the catalyst we needed to have that recovery. Really important after the last two and a half years."
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