All aboard the 6m Suffragette line: Sadiq Khan’s TfL paid agency 115,000 to explore ‘decolonisation and queer histories’ for London Tube colouring project – with 6.3m of taxpayer’s money going on new maps, loudspeaker announcements and direction signs [Video]

By Oliver Price and Mark Duell and James Tapsfield and Ed Holt and Nick Fagge 08:30 EST 15 Feb 2024 , updated 12:13 EST 15 Feb 2024

Sadiq Khan‘s Transport for London paid a branding agency more than £115,000 to explore ‘decolonisation and queer histories’ over five months of ‘naming research’ before it unveiled the revamp of the London Overground lines.

The Lioness, Mildmay, Windrush, Weaver, Suffragette and Liberty lines were revealed by the Labour Mayor, who hailed the ‘brilliant’ names that will save passengers from ‘nightmare’ journeys – but Tories quickly slammed the ‘virtue signalling nonsense’.

A Freedom of Information request reveals that TfL paid £115,275  to DNCO, ‘an agency that we are using that specialises in creative community engagement’.

The firm said that it ‘explored themes of decolonisation, queer histories, intersectionality and young London’s perspectives’ to decide the names of the lines.

TfL said that DNCO’s expertise ‘means that we can effectively engage with communities ahead of making any …