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Sir Sadiq Khan is facing criticism from the London Assembly after details of the Met Police’s estate plans were shared with his appointed board before elected members had access to them. The controversy surrounds the long-awaited Met Estates Strategy, which outlines the force’s plans for all its buildings, including police stations closed under previous savings rounds.

Marina Ahmad, chair of the Assembly’s Police and Crime Committee, expressed her disappointment that the London Policing Board—whose members are appointed by the mayor—received information ahead of her committee, despite repeated requests for updates. She has summoned the mayor to appear before the committee on 18 December, using powers rarely exercised, to explain the situation.

“For years, the Police and Crime Committee has called for updates on when the Met’s Estates Strategy will be ready to be scrutinised,” Ahmad said. “It appears we have been left in the dark over a key strategic document, despite having asked for it over a number of years, whilst members of the London Policing Board, who are not elected officials, have been given sight.”

The strategy, which had been expected this summer, is now promised before Christmas. A spokesperson for the mayor’s office said the draft document is still in development and that extensive professional advice had been sought. “The strategy will be shared with the London Assembly once finalised,” the spokesperson added.

Other committee members voiced similar concerns. Susan Hall, Conservative deputy chair, described the situation as “beyond outraged,” saying the bypassing of elected representatives “makes a mockery of democratic accountability.” Liberal Democrat member Gareth Roberts called it “indefensible,” noting that elected representatives acting on behalf of Londoners had been kept in the dark while the mayor’s unelected board received the draft.

The controversy highlights ongoing tensions between the mayor’s office and the London Assembly over transparency and scrutiny of policing decisions. It marks the second occasion in six months that Khan has been called to explain delays or omissions in sharing key information regarding the police in London.

Two London residents are on trial accused of taking part in a break-in at a dog breeding facility in Cambridgeshire, allegedly removing 20 Beagle puppies intended for animal testing.

Ben Newman, 35, from Hackney, told police he “rescued as many beautiful Beagle puppies as I could from a life of hell” following the December 2022 incident at MBR Acres. He is among 18 defendants linked to the alleged burglary carried out by activists from Animal Rising, formerly Animal Rebellion. Nathan McGovern, 26, from Lewisham, Hannah Hunt, 26, from Brighton, Eben Lazarus, 25, also from Brighton, and Lewis Elliott, 32, from Cumbria, are the first group to face a jury at Cambridge Crown Court, with other defendants scheduled for later trials.

Footage presented to jurors showed activists in pink t-shirts reading “What would you do if this was your dog?” handling puppies, lifting them over fences, and kissing them as they removed them from cages. Videos recorded inside the facility showed dogs whimpering and pressing against metal cages while activists climbed in to extract them.

Two of the 20 dogs were recovered at the scene, but 18 were never returned. Prosecutor Mitchell Cohen described the incident as an “organised, planned operation.”

The court heard that the offence of burglary under Section 9 of the Theft Act 1968 requires the prosecution to prove the defendants entered as trespassers and intended to “dishonestly appropriate goods belonging to others which they do not intend to return.” Mr Cohen stressed that, while it may be uncomfortable to think of dogs as goods, “they are, in this case, goods. Animate objects, of course, dogs that must be cared for, of course, but they are the trading commodity of MBR Acres, a breeding facility.”

Footage showed activists arriving in a convoy of hire cars in the early hours of December 20, using ladders to scale fences topped with barbed wire. Security camera recordings captured interactions between activists and staff, including claims that the dogs were “going to be killed” and “brought up to die in animal testing.”

All five defendants in this initial trial were arrested at the scene. Lazarus, Elliott, and McGovern made no comment under questioning. Newman, found with pink wire-cutters, gave a prepared statement asserting that his actions were lawful. Hunt also largely remained silent, telling authorities, “If you see what conditions they live in… when you smell their faeces… they are brought up to die in animal testing.”

Prosecutors indicated that the defence might seek to present the trial as a “political platform,” but emphasized that the law does not permit individuals to enter a property without permission and remove items, regardless of their beliefs. “The defendants attended as trespassers knowing they were not invited, knowing they were not welcome, and having entered as trespassers in the early hours of the morning, took property, 20 Beagles belonging to MBR Acres, and intended they would never be returned,” Mr Cohen said.

Another 13 defendants are scheduled for separate trials at a later date.