Back to one of Sadiq Khan’s worst mistakes in office: Amy Lamé. The underwhelming ‘night czar’ is in the news again after Khan tried to persuade Londoners that the £120,000-a-year Lamé is worth the money.

Speaking to Times Radio this morning, the London mayor was quizzed about the city’s failing nighttime economy. ‘New York is the city that never sleeps,’ said the presenter. ‘London is the city that likes to go to bed early with a cup of Horlicks.’

Scrabbling for a retort, Khan had barely found one before he was hit with the next zinger: ‘Why are you paying a DJ 120 grand to be a night czar? That’s not value for money, is it?’

SK: Well, what we seen in the last few years is not just not just the cost of living crisis, not just the cost of doing business crisis, not just the pandemic, not just the consequences of labour shortages, but actually utility bills going up, business rates going up, rents going up. What we’ve sought to do is work with the communities across London. 1.3 million people work in the nighttime economy…

Presenter: Is she value for money at 120 grand a year, do you think?

SK: She is.

Presenter: That’s good value?

SK: Yeah. The businesses we are supporting, the inward investment we get… Just look at tourism. Tourism is booming in London.

Does Khan know anything about the city over which he presides? Today’s Times reports that nightlife venues in London have closed at a faster rate than in most other UK cities, while nightclubs have declined by more than half over the last decade. Working from home, a lack of late-night transport links and local authorities pushing back on late licenses are apparently all to blame. And, since 2016, Amy Lamé has watched it happen…

Khan has also come under criticism today for allowing salaries to surge at City Hall, after it was revealed that more than 1,000 staff were on six figures last year. The London mayoral elections are fast approaching and Khan is keen to do all he can to stay in post. But as more and more frustrated city-dwellers share their #LameLondon snaps on social media and question where their taxes are really going, perhaps he should take a closer look at his own employees…