Sir Sadiq Khan has been accused of “backtracking” on his undelivered promise to ban gambling adverts from the London’s Tube network.

The mayor pledged in his 2021 re-election manifesto to instruct Transport for London (TfL) to ban adverts from casinos and betting websites, “given the devastating way gambling addiction can destroy lives and families”.

But four years on, no such ban has been passed, and Sir Sadiq has now said that he will wait for the Government to “provide a national framework to addressing this issue” before taking any action from City Hall.

In a recent written question from Caroline Russell, a Green member of the London Assembly, the mayor was asked when he “will implement an ethical advertising policy for TfL, rather than wait for Londoners’ complaints and media outcry to remove gambling adverts from the transport network”.

Sir Sadiq told the assembly member he wanted to “hear more detail about the Government’s plans in this area” before “looking further at any implications for TfL’s policy”.

In its general election manifesto last year, Labour said it was “committed to reducing gambling-related harm”.

The party said: “Recognising the evolution of the gambling landscape since 2005, Labour will reform gambling regulation, strengthening protections. We will continue to work with the industry on how to ensure responsible gambling.”

However, the mayor has faced pressure to make good on his own promise to Londoners – regardless of any changes at a national level. The London Assembly’s health committee warned him in March last year that the capital’s rate of ‘problem gambling’ is almost twice the average seen across Britain.