Sadiq Khan welcomes homeless people to City Hall for haircuts and three-course meals

Mayor of London describes Christmas event as ‘best day’ of his tenure

Sadiq Khan has invited 100 homeless people for a three-course meal at City Hall in London to celebrate Christmas Eve.

The mayor of London has hailed the event as the “best day” in his job so far as he offered guests a Christmas meal, along with haircuts and an appointment with an optician.

Guests who came with a dog were also given free health checks for their pet.

“I’ve got to tell you this – this has been the best day of me being the mayor because you guys are here in City Hall,” Mr Khan told the crowd.

The visitors were welcomed to the headquarters of the Greater London Authority by singers from the London International Gospel Choir before being invited to take part in karaoke and other activities.

After addressing the crowd, Mr Khan donned a Santa hat and helped serve meals to the visitors.

Homelessness has become a serious problem in London, with a report published earlier this month by the housing charity Shelter concluding that the capital is the worst region in the UK for the issue.

Shelter found an estimated total of almost 170,000 people, or one in 52 people, in London have nowhere to live.

The report also found rates of homelessness were high in areas such as Luton (one in 46 people), Birmingham (one in 66) and Brighton and Hove (one in 75).

A separate study by the charity reported in December that 135,000 children are currently without a home, or living in temporary accommodation, in the UK.

Mr Khan has said rises in homelessness are “both heartbreaking and shameful”.

He added: “I don’t pretend that this one day is going to end rough sleeping or end homelessness.

“What I can do is try and give those who are our guests today a really special experience.”

The mayor of London has told Sky News he has called on the government to change some of its policies, such as cuts to welfare benefits, to reduce the level of homelessness.

Claire, a 50-year-old homeless visitor to City Hall, who did not want to give her surname, told the Press Association that the event had been “brilliant”.

She added: “For some people, Christmas isn’t always a happy time.

“So to go somewhere like this that you’ve never been, I think it’s really good.”

Additional reporting by PA