Boris Johnson summoned to answer questions over Garden Bridge

Boris Johnson was today legally summoned to appear in front of a City Hall committee to answer questions on the failed Garden Bridge project.

The London Assembly issued the summons after the Foreign Secretary refused to comply with Sadiq Khan’s review of the controversial Thames crossing.

The former mayor hit back by accusing Mr Khan of wasting 18 months in power to “grandstand on issues of the past” rather than focusing on improving lives for ordinary Londoners.

In an astonishing rebuttal, his spokesman claimed the Labour Mayor was attempting to “distract from his own lack of vision and delivery,” by calling on him to give evidence on the Garden Bridge.

However, it was a cross-party committee of London Assembly members – who are independent of the mayoralty – that issued the summons for Mr Johnson to appear.

It came after he refused to participate in a review of the bridge, commissioned by Mr Khan, by Dame Margaret Hodge, who had no powers to formally require him to attend.

Her damning report eventually recommended ditching the crossing because it was “difficult to justify further public investment”. Mr Khan subsequently pulled the plug.

Len Duvall, chair of the Assembly’s oversight committee, said that “an important part of the story was not being made public” as a result of Mr Johnson’s refusal to participate.

He issued the summons for him to appear in February next year, warning that refusing without “reasonable excuse” would be regarded as a criminal offence.

Mr Duvall added: “Thirty-seven million pounds of transport finance was allocated to a project which seemed to bypass proper appraisal, procurement procedures were not followed and the promised money from the Garden Bridge Trust did not materialise – leaving the tax payer to pick up the bill.