TfL boss that oversaw Crossrail and Garden Bridge fiascos set for an honour
A controversial former TfL boss appears to be in line for an honour, after Sadiq Khan tweeted his congratulations before the tweet was hastily removed.
The Queen’s birthday honours list will be be announced tonight, however it appears the mayor of London jumped the gun this morning by announcing that former TfL commissioner Mike Brown is in line for a gong.
The tweet was deleted by Khan minutes later.
Brown will be seen as a controversial choice to be selected on the Queen’s honours list, after he oversaw the failed £40m Garden Bridge and years of delays to the Crossrail project.
Crossrail’s budget also blew out by billions of pounds under his watch.
He stepped down as transport commissioner earlier this year.
Khan tweeted this morning: “Huge congratulations to TfL’s Ibrar Akram and former transport commissioner Mike Brown for being recognised for their outstanding contributions to London in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
“Your work is a true testament to the values of community and support that underpin our city.”
Brown was appointed to the role as London’s transport commissioner in 2015 by former London mayor Boris Johnson, after formerly working as managing director of Heathrow Airport and London Underground.
Under his tenure, Crossrail’s budget blew out from £14.8bn to almost £17bn and was delayed by two years.
The costs for Crossrail are now expected to be even more, because of the Covid pandemic, and its opening date has been pushed back to 2022.
Brown was also the commissioner when Johnson’s failed Garden Bridge project was originally signed off.
The project, strongly supported by former chancellor George Osborne and actress Joanna Lumley, cost the taxpayer £40m even though no construction work was ever started.