Boris urges super-wealthy to give more

The mayor of London, urging American-style charitable giving by the wealthy, said attitudes were changing in London and he had seen some “amazing” acts of philanthropy across the city.

But he said too often those who amassed “colossal wealth” chose to buy a “grouse moor” or “schlosses in the Home Counties” rather than giving to good causes.

“There is still something in Britain that regards giving on a huge scale as being somehow ostentatious. That is ridiculous, that is absolutely ridiculous,” Mr Johnson told a news conference in central London.

“The sooner people get over their lust for buying great schlosses in the Home Counties or indeed a grouse moor and give to great causes in London, the better.”

Mr Johnson was speaking at the launch of Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge, a competition to inspire European cities to generate ideas to improve city life.

The competition will award five million euros (£4.2m) for the main prize-winner and one million euros (£840,000) for four additional cities that come up with the best ideas.

Leaders of European cities with 100,000 residents or more will be invited to submit their city’s “boldest idea”.

Mr Johnson described the mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, who was present at the launch, as “one of the great philanthropists of our age”.