Sadiq Khans London Night Czar has quit after nearly eight years in the job enjoying taxpayer-funded trips while more than 3,000 venues closed under her watch - as a damning report was due to be published calling for her to resign.
Amy Lamé, who was earning £132,846-a-year, was criticised for her globe-trotting adventures while London became ranked as the UKs worst city for a night out.
The 6Music host took sick leave while still presenting her BBC show and was accused of failing to show up a vital meetings to improve the capitals nightlife.
The 53-year-old writer, comedian and broadcaster became the UKs first ever Night Czar in 2016 when she was appointed by Mr Khan soon after he became Mayor.
Ms Lamé has become a key ally for Mr Khan and insisted earlier this year that she was worth her six-figure salary despite receiving backlash over her trips abroad.
But questions were raised over whether she could ever do enough to impact the citys nightlife, given borough councils are still responsible for licensing decisions.
Mayor Sadiq Khan appointed Amy Lamé as Londons first Night Czar in November 2016
Amy Lamé with her wife Jennie Hogan at theatreland favourite Joe Allens party in 2017
After revealing she will quit at the end of this month, Ms Lamé said it was the right time to move on and insisted it had been a real privilege to serve Londoners.
Ms Lamé quit just hours before an industry-led report compiled by Conservative London Assembly Member Emma Best was due to be published tomorrow - which included calls for her to quit as its headline recommendation.
But MailOnline understands that Ms Lamé decided to resign before she heard about the report - which has now been brought forward and will come out later today.
Ms Lamé has not said what she will do next, simply saying she will now begin my next chapter – although she still presents weekend mornings on BBC Radio 6Music.
Ms Lamé took up the role in 2016 and has since seen her salary rise to more than £132,000
Meanwhile it is also not yet clear whether Ms Lamé will be replaced in the role, with City Halls forthcoming new London Nightlife Taskforce group set to make a decision.
Ms Best, lead author of the Conservative groups Fixing Londons Nightlife Report which will now be published later today, told MailOnline: The news that after eight years of watching Londons nightlife decline, Amy Lamé is to resign, is welcome.
Abolishing the six-figure position and replacing it with a voluntary advisor like Sacha Lord in Manchester had been one of the headline recommendations in a report Im launching today with more than a dozen industry stakeholders.
Our report lays bare the urgent action needed to revitalise our capitals nightlife and I regret only that this news will take some of the attention away from the nine other recommendations which if implemented would transform the night-time economy.
She added: I hope that her successor - if indeed there is one - will engage with us productively to get to the bottom of the crisis facing night-time businesses in London.
Today, MailOnline looks at Ms Lamés long and colourful career so far - and a string of controversies she has faced since taking the Night Czar job:
Moving to London and having success in broadcasting
The daughter of a plumber father, Ms Lamé grew up in the New Jersey borough of Keyport, before moving to London in 1992 when she started working in a cafe bar.
Perhaps her biggest achievement in the capital was in 1995 when she founded the long-running Duckie club night at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern - arguably the worlds most historic gay venue - where acts have included a stripping dwarf.
She also made her name performing successful one-woman shows including Gay Man Trapped in a Lesbians Body, and even appeared in a 1995 lesbian film described as a wacky British sex romp in the Benny Hill tradition (minus the misogyny).
Amy Lamé hosted The Staying-In Show in the 1990s, a comedy-based quiz show on Channel 4
She also became successful on TV in the late 1990s after presenting the BBC Two show Gaytime TV and was the mentor for LGBTQ teenagers on Channel 4s My Big Gay Prom in 2007.
In addition, Ms Lamé appeared on Loose Women and Celebrity Fit Club and presented The Staying-In Show - a comedy-based quiz show on Channel 4 with questions based on sex and sexuality.
She also held a ceremonial role as Mayoress of Camden between 2010 and 2011, and co-presented a radio show on BBC London for a decade alongside Danny Baker until 2012 - reportedly earning £50 per episode.
Amy Lamé was on Channel 4s Celebrity Fit Club in 2004 with stars such as Alison Hammond
Ms Lamé was also a long-time Labour party member, and has been described as mates with Mr Khan.
She spent the night before her wedding to psychotherapist Jennie Hogan at an LGBT event at 10 Downing Street when Gordon Brown was prime minister, and was friends with his wife Sarah.
Ms Lamé also unsuccessfully stood for Labour candidate selection in 2014 in the Dulwich and West Norwood constituency in South London.
Appointment as London and UKs first Night Czar
Two years later on November 4, 2016, her appointment as Londons Night Czar was revealed by Mr Khan – and his office described it as a much-anticipated and hotly-contested brand new position.
Nearly 200 people applied for the role, with Ms Lamé appointed based on her extensive knowledge and experience of the night time economy, having built her career in the industry over the last two decades.
She was also noted for her proven track-record in the area, given her work fighting for the future of the Royal Vauxhall Tavern.
Amy Lamé poses for a photograph in 2016 after being appointed as the Mayors Night Czar
Following an interview process including a panel led by deputy mayor for culture Justine Simons, Ms Lamé was initially appointed on a salary of about £35,000 for a two-and-a-half-day week.
Mr Khan described her as a fantastic hire who will give a big boost to our citys flourishing nightlife, adding that she had a proven track-record of helping save venues.
And Ms Lamé said in the announcement that for too long, the capitals night-time industry has been under pressure - music venues and nightclubs in particular are closing at an alarming rate.
A New York Times report on her appointment declared that London has a Queen of the Night.
Apology for offensive tweets about Conservatives
But Ms Lamés first row began just days after her appointment, after she was told to delete a series of offensive tweets about the Conservative Party.
She wrote to apologise to six Conservative boroughs in London after tweeting about Tory scum, the death of Margaret Thatcher and labelling former Chancellor George Osborne a c***.
She wrote about a fantasy of bitch-slapping David Cameron and Baroness Warsi as a solution to a headache caused by Tory conference in 2011.
Amy Lamé (left), with London Mayor Sadiq Khan (third left) and then-Education Secretary Justine Greening (third right) during the Pride in London Parade in the capital on July 8, 2017
After the Iron Ladys death in 2013, Ms Lamé tweeted: Ding dong, the witch is dead – and also described Ruth Davidson as Tory scum.
And in a tweet about the tampon tax in 2015, she wrote: I could say that George Osborne is a c***, but he has neither the warmth or the depth.
Writing about Mr Cameron, she also said: What desperation David Cameron to use your dead son as a pawn to show you care about the NHS - referring to his son Ivan who died in 2009 aged just six.
Tax query, Waitrose sandwiches and an LGBTQ+ book
Ms Lamé also faced criticism at the time of her appointment for receiving her salary through a personal service company, which critics said could help her pay less tax.
Days after these reports emerged, the Treasury warned public bodies that they could no longer employ staff through personal service companies.
In 2017, Ms Lamés position was made full-time, and that year she published From Prejudice to Pride: A History of the LGBTQ + Movement, which was billed as the first LGBTQ+ history book for children.
Amy Lamé is pictured in a publicity photo for a show at Soho Theatre in 2006
In 2018 Ms Lamés was awarded an honorary doctorate from University of East London and appointed honorary professor at University College London.
However, she continued to attract criticism amid the capitals faltering nightlife and one article in the NME that year was titled: London Night Czar Amy Lamé - what exactly is the point of you?
In October 2018, she used her influence as a feminist to force Waitrose to rename a sexist sandwich.
Amy Lamé used her influence as a feminist to force Waitrose to rename a sexist sandwich
Ms Lamé complained about Heston Blumanthals Gentlemans Smoked Chicken Caesar Roll, forcing the supermarket to apologise.
Just before the pandemic, in February 2020, Mr Khan was accused of presiding over a culture of cronyism at City Hall after LBC radio revealed Ms Lamé was paid an extra £1,000 for her work in hosting a drag act to mark his borough of culture celebrations at Walthamstow Assembly Hall in September 2019.
Ms Lamé later agreed to make a donation to an LGBTQ charity of £1,000, less the tax she paid.
Petition calling for her to be sacked amid nightlife fears
Then a major row involving her broke out when the capitals nightlife was shut down in 2020 after the pandemic began.
A petition was submitted to Mr Khan demanding that she be removed from her role, saying her response to Covid-19 has been extremely disappointing and has not inspired any confidence in why she receives a salary of £83,169.
In an interview with The Observer in August that year, Ms Lamé said the hostility was unpleasant, adding: People will have their opinions, but I will be judged by the work that I do.
Amy Lamé meets Charles - then Prince of Wales - at the 100 Club in London in December 2020
Different people have different ideas… but Ive got 25 years-plus experience in running my own business, my own nightclub. My background is in advocating for venues: I helped save what is perhaps the most iconic LGBTQ+ venue in the country.
Despite the sustained criticism, in 2022 she was recognised as a National Treasure as part of the Queens Platinum Jubilee.
I am a woman who has always worked at night
Ms Lamé spoke at length about her background to the Transport for London podcast Mind The Gap: Tube 160 last December.
Describing herself, she said: Ive done so many different things, but I think Night Czar keeps me pretty busy these days. The Mayor is good at keeping me out of trouble.
Ms Lamé went on: When I first arrived in London back at the tail end of 1992 and got my very first job at a cafe bar.
Amy Lamé at the Association of Independent Music Awards at Londons Roundhouse in 2019
Speaking about making London a 24-hour city, she said: Well, being a Night Czar, we dont talk about sleep. I sleep when I have to. But also I am a woman who has always worked at night. My dad worked nights at a car factory in New Jersey.
And then he set up his own 24-hour plumbing business. And when the phone rang at 3am, my dad put on his overalls and he was out the door.
So I grew up with this idea that working and living was in this 24-hour cycle and that things could be flexible. And that doesnt mean to say that there werent downsides to that in terms of family life and things, but I think that growing up in that situation but also running my nightclub for 27 years.
Criticism for regular globe-trotting adventures
Two months later, a huge row broke out in February this year in the run up to Mr Khans election campaign when it emerged she had been jetting around the world.
She was criticised for travelling to Australia, Italy and Spain while presiding over the decline of Londons nightlife and the closure of hundreds of night venues across the capital.
City Hall insisted the trips were essential to share best practice learn from other cities and build partnerships, but critics said Ms Lamé was struggling to justify her trips abroad.
Amy Lamé poses in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge where she joined other nightlife czars
Amy Lamé (right) pictured with the vice mayor of Bologna (centre) and the night mayor of Trento (left) during a trip to Italy
Before the pandemic, Ms Lamé went to Lviv in Ukraine as part of her job
Amy in Boston in the US when she was invited to be guest speaker at a Harvard conference
The aide to Sadiq Khan gave a keynote speech at the Live Music Summit Copenhagen in 2017
Amy Lamé is pictured embarking on a trip to Mumbai in India in 2017
Ms Lamé has also enjoyed several trips to Paris, including the one pictured above in 2017
She took at least 12 foreign jaunts as part of her Night Czar role. Trips to build partnerships, study nightlife and attend conferences took her to Mumbai, Melbourne and Sydney, Boston, Bologna, Berlin and Paris as well as Tallinn and even Lviv in Ukraine.
Most of Ms Lamés trips abroad were not paid for by the taxpayer and were instead funded through private donations. But according to her expenses, for a trip to Berlin, she did claim for flights and accommodation.
Industry chiefs and Tories questioned whether she was providing value for money – and it also came at the same time as Mr Khan sparked fury for spending more than £6million on a woke renaming of individual London Overground lines.
#LameLondon hashtag after 24-hour city description
In March, Ms Lamé was mocked for describing London as a 24-hour city during an interview on BBC Politics London – which Mr Khan then backed up in a tweet, saying the capital had a 24-hour policy.
Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), said at the time that there was a real disparity with the narrative presented and the PR position… and the reality what is going on within the city.
People then took to social media to express their frustration at a lack of nightlife in the capital under the X hashtag #LameLondon – posting photos of empty streets, quiet bars and signs saying no drinks outside after 9.30pm.
Amy Lamé wears a T-Shirt with the Mayor of Londons face on it after he was elected in 2016
At the time, Ms Lamé also blamed the previous Mayor Boris Johnson for the struggling nighttime economy.
She said: I have to say, we inherited an absolute mess from the previous Mayor, we have lost a total of 35 per cent of our live grassroots music venues, 50 per cent of our nightclubs and a whopping 62 per cent of our LGBTQ + venues under the previous Mayor.
So weve had to pick up that mess and the Mayor and I have been focused on stemming those closures and helping venues to not just survive but thrive.
When questioned if she was worth her salary, Ms Lamé said: Its a really big job. Were a city of nine-and-a-half million people. I can point to the successes.
After listing the venues that she had helped to save or introduce, she added: All of this is going to change the way London operates at night. We are truly a 24-hour city.
But in April, a study by Bonus Finder ranked the UKs best cities for a night out – with London bottom of the pile when considering factors including the average price of a pint, the average hotel cost and the number of pubs and bars per 10,000 residents.
And a report released that same month by the NTIA showed that between March 2020 and December 2023, a total of 3,011 night economy businesses closed in London and its surrounding boroughs.
Pay rise and questions over unplanned sick leave
In May, Ms Lamé received a 4.5 per cent annual pay rise in line with other staff at the Greater London Authority, taking her salary to £132,846.
Then in July, she was criticised by the Guido Fawkes website for going on unplanned sick leave for six weeks despite still presenting her BBC Radio 6 shows every Saturday and Sunday and posting about her gardening on Instagram.
She also allegedly failed to show up to two important public meetings about the capitals nightlife - but the Greater London Authority said it would not discuss the individual circumstances of members of staff.
6Music host Amy Lamé took sick leave while still presenting her BBC radio show
Sadiq Khan hails her impact as she reveals departure
Last night, an announcement from Mr Khans office said: Amy Lamé has decided that she wishes to stand down as Londons Night Czar, after eight years in the role.
Reacting to news of her exit, the Mayors team praised the work of Ms Lamé – saying she had supported hundreds of venues since 2016.
They also cited her instrumental work on reopening Fabric, protecting the 100 Club, securing the future of Printworks, securing the reopening of the Black Cap after 10 years of closure, and enabling Drumsheds to open, amongst others.
In addition, his office praised her £500,000 Night Time Enterprise Zones scheme, which aimed to boost the night economy in town centres.
Ms Lamé was also hailed for launching the Womens Night Safety Charter, which strives to put womens safety at the heart of night time businesses and organisations.
Mr Khan said: Id like to thank Amy for everything that shes done as the capitals first-ever Night Czar.
She has worked hard to help Londons nightlife through huge challenges, including the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, and I know she will continue to be a key part of the industry going forward.
Ms Lamé is an LGBT rights campaigner, and has been involved in the night economy for years
As for a replacement, a City Hall source told The Standard: The forthcoming London Nightlife Taskforce will examine and address the issues facing the industries. Any decisions on the Night Czar role will be taken once they have completed their work.
Ms Lamé said: It has been a huge honour to be Londons – and the UKs – first-ever Night Czar, but after eight years I believe that it is the right time for me to move on.
It has been a real privilege to serve Londoners and deliver for the mayor, and Im deeply proud of what has been achieved in the face of so many challenges.
Boroughs are planning for life at night for the first time with dedicated night time strategies, the innovative Womens Night Safety Charter has ensured thousands of organisations prioritise the safety of women, the Agent of Change is protecting venues from development, four in five of Londons night workers are receiving the London Living Wage and Ive worked alongside hundreds of venues to support them in their hours of need.
Cities across the UK and the world have created their own champions for life at night in recent years, and its been inspiring to work alongside them.
London Night Czar Amy Lamé is pictured at London Bridge railway station in February 2017
Despite the ongoing challenges that it faces, I know that Londons life at night will continue to evolve and I look forward to seeing the work that has already started to deliver the mayors manifesto pledges, as I begin my next chapter.
Ms Lamé said: It has been a huge honour to be Londons – and the UKs – first-ever Night Czar, but after eight years I believe that it is the right time for me to move on.
It has been a real privilege to serve Londoners and deliver for the mayor, and Im deeply proud of what has been achieved in the face of so many challenges.
Boroughs are planning for life at night for the first time with dedicated night time strategies, the innovative Womens Night Safety Charter has ensured thousands of organisations prioritise the safety of women, the Agent of Change is protecting venues from development, four in five of Londons night workers are receiving the London Living Wage and Ive worked alongside hundreds of venues to support them in their hours of need.
Amy Lamé shared this picture of herself aged three on Instagram. She grew up in the US
Cities across the UK and the world have created their own champions for life at night in recent years, and its been inspiring to work alongside them.
Despite the ongoing challenges that it faces, I know that Londons life at night will continue to evolve and I look forward to seeing the work that has already started to deliver the mayors manifesto pledges, as I begin my next chapter.
Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, said: During Amys eight-year tenure, while there has been criticism, several achievements must be recognised. Her work on womens safety at night, and the establishment of enterprise zones, have been hugely beneficial for the sector.
Criticism of Amy Lamé has coincided with London Mayor Sadiq Khan been slammed for spending £6million on rebranding the London Overground into different lines in February
The role of Night Czar has always been crucial, but also an enormous challenge, especially during one of the toughest trading periods for the night-time economy. Representing such a vast market in a capital city like London is no easy task. I wish Amy well in her future endeavours.
With the formation of the new Night Taskforce, I am optimistic that we are entering a new era. We now have the chance to rebuild Londons nightlife with a fresh perspective and stronger foundations.
London has an incredible variety of nightlife, supported by outstanding operators and entrepreneurs. Its time to remind everyone that the capital is one of the worlds leading night-time economies. I look forward to collaborating with the Mayor of London and other partners to rebuild a thriving future strategy.