West Ham United relegation to cost London taxpayers millions

London taxpayers hit hard in pocket after Boris Johnson did 'worst deal ever'

West Ham's relegation from the Premier League cuts their London Stadium rent by half, costing GLA taxpayers an extra £2.5m/year under the 99-year lease negotiated by former Mayor Boris Johnson. Performance-linked clauses in long-term public infrastructure contracts create compounding fiscal exposure — a structural governance risk worth factoring into any multi-decade deal.