Sadiq Khan has warned that ministers have no choice other than to bail out Transport for London because new Covid curbs will spark a collapse in commuter numbers.

The mayor of London blamed Boris Johnson for wrecking the finances of the capital’s transport authority, despite new research showing that Londoners were less willing to return to the office compared with the likes of Paris, Hong Kong, New York and Berlin before the latest restrictions were announced. 

TfL, which is chaired by Mr Khan, is scrambling to agree a bailout from Westminster before its latest funding runs out on Saturday.

Mr Khan said: “Responsibility for pandemic regulations sit entirely with the Government, and the reason TfL’s finances were so decimated by the pandemic was because Londoners did the right thing, followed Government rules and stayed at home.

“Now that Government are once again telling us to work from home if we can, it’s more important than ever that ministers step up with a long-term, sustainable funding deal.”

The comments came as new research showed that the number of people passing through London’s stations is 31pc lower than before the pandemic. This compares with a fall of only 5pc in Paris, 24pc in Berlin and 27pc in New York.

Hong Kong stations, meanwhile, are 1pc busier than before the crisis, according to the Global Cities Survey launched by the London Property Alliance.

The figures were seized upon by opposition leaders.