'There are more statues of animals than women in London'

Justine Simons is the capital’s powerhouse deputy mayor for culture and the person adding sparkle to Sadiq, says Ross Lydall

SHE probably has the best contacts book in London, but Justine Simons is too modest to boast about it. “Your words, not mine,” she laughs as we talk about her being the “go to” person for her boss, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, when his policies are in need of some celebrity sparkle.

But who else to credit for James Corden showing up when Mr Khan hosted an expat event in Los Angeles on his US tour? Or who better to have in the room when Abba’s Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus visit City Hall with an extraordinary idea for a new show?

As deputy mayor for culture, she’s on everyone’s guest list. Having been to see David Tennant play Macbeth at the Donmar, attended the Baftas and with the Olivier awards in the diary, early next month she will fly to a culture summit in Abu Dhabi. Surprisingly, Taylor Swift tickets are yet to be secured.

In the last year or so, there’s been Sir Elton John’s farewell tour. The Mercury music prize. The Serpentine summer party. Marina Abramovic at the Royal Academy. Dinner with Anya Hindmarch. Tamara Rojo at the English National Ballet. Cabaret at the Kit-Kat Club. Small Island at the National Theatre. “It’s hard to say no,” she says of the VIP invites. At the premiere of Abba Voyage, she and the Mayor danced in the aisles to the “Abbatars” in the purpose-built venue erected, at her suggestion, in the unlikely location of Pudding Mill Lane.

“They [Benny and Bjorn] came to us to ask for help in finding a space,” she recalled. “That was a nice day at City Hall. They wanted to bring it to London. At the time it was just a conceptual thing. I’m so proud that they chose London.”