Sadiq lets the mask slip

Sadiq Khan had a jolly old time this weekend. First, the £152,000-a-year mayor got to watch Liverpool beat Norwich for free at Anfield on Saturday. And then, hours later, he received another complimentary ticket to watch the boxing at the Manchester Arena, where his friend and namesake Amir Khan was battered by northerner Kell Brook. 

But while all eyes were on the ring, Mr S couldn’t help but notice in the excitement that the London mayor had removed his face mask to watch the fight, despite being in a crowd of some 20,000 roaring boxing fans. Ticket-sellers had previously told those applying that ‘face masks must be worn throughout the performance’ – a subject on which Khan has been positively evangelical.

Back in his own city of London of course Khan has insisted on retaining face coverings on the Tube and the wider transport network, where they remain a ‘condition of carriage’ to travel. This is despite Boris Johnson’s government axing the rules to require the wearing of masks on public transport last month.