Bringing six jobs to London will cover costs of my India trip, says Mayor

Rebutting criticism of his 740,000 pound trip to India, Londons Mayor Ken Livingstone has said he would just have to bring six jobs to the British capital to cover the expense.

London, Nov.21 : Rebutting criticism of his 740,000 pound trip to India, London's Mayor Ken Livingstone has said he would just have to bring six jobs to the British capital to cover the expense.

"Those chickens would come home to roost in the decades to come. You only have to bring six jobs to London to recover the cost of this trip. I think we will bring several thousand."

Livingstone, who was accompanied by an 81-strong retinue, further said: "Any Mayoral candidate or any newspaper editor who thinks I shouldn't be on this trip, is very bad news for London."

The weeklong trip, which was aimed at tapping into India's booming economy, has been criticised by Tories in the London Assembly.

The 81 people with the Mayor include British Olympic chief Lord Coe and his chief executive officer Paul Deighton. There were also business representatives and members of the film industry.

Taxpayers are footing the bill for some of the entourage.

The trip's supporters claim that it will encourage more Indian firms to locate in London and strengthen cultural and environmental links.

Livingstone's aides say that each new job created by a foreign firm boosts London's economy by around 115,000 pounds, while 65 business people who make up the bulk of the delegation are all paying for themselves.

Livingstone said it was important that London shared in India's success. Its economy grew by 9.2 per cent last year and is the second fastest-developing major economy in the world.

Livingstone is opening offices in Delhi and Mumbai. Two similar offices in China have resulted in firms "expressing interest" in moving to London.

"India's incredible growth is something we wish to be part of. I'm not one of those politicians who believe the West should raise barriers against India. We should be making sure we grow with India," the Daily Snack quoted Livingstone, as saying.

ANI