Sadiq Khan refuses to attend city mayors' summit in Saudi Arabia

Khan and GLA staff will boycott event in protest over human rights issues in the country

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has joined the mayors of New York, Los Angeles and Paris in refusing to attend or send a representative to a major international summit this week hosted by Saudi Arabia as part of its chairmanship of the G20.

Campaign groups had called on mayors around the world not to attend the three-day Urban 20 summit (U20), which began in Riyadh on Wednesday, in protest at the plight of political prisoners in Saudi Arabia.