Given its unique experience of devolution, it is perhaps surprising that only one speech in the Commons debate on devolution this week paid any attention to London, and this itself came from Labour’s shadow minister for London Sadiq Khan.

True, many of those speaking sought to make unfavourable comparisons between the capital and other, more neglected areas of the country.

And it is equally true that London has some of the wealthiest people, and most vibrant parts of the economy – as well as the downside this brings of unattainable house prices and a severe cost-of-living crisis for many citizens.

But two reports published this week refute this image of a nirvana, existing in a bubble separate from the rest of the country, and outline some of the real challenges that London faces, if we wish it to remain a city where everyone has a place, and opportunity to prosper.

First, the Campaign to End Child Poverty has published new figures showing that London contains 14 out of the top 20 local authorities with the highest rates of child poverty across the United Kingdom.

Second, a new report by the London assembly economy committee highlights how the capital is lagging behind the rest of the country on training.

This study found that only two per cent of London’s total employment is funded apprenticeships – the lowest proportion in England. This is woeful, considering that a quarter of economically active young adults in London are unemployed, compared with 20 per cent in the rest of the country.

Of course, the findings of these two reports are intertwined – for how will the cycle of child poverty in London end if it is not with young people finding their way, through routes like apprenticeships, into jobs, breaking the cross-generational cycle of unemployment many London families face?

The mayor is likely failure to meet his own 2016 target on apprenticeships, something which speaks volumes about his failure to match rhetoric with actions. Tackling the deep-seated problems London faces needs more systemic change.

On housing, air quality, public health, childcare, as well as poverty and vocational education, London has challenges at least the equal of many parts of this country. Those of us interested in keeping London a city open to all, rich in its diversity and opportunity must not be ashamed of saying so, nor in asserting that, despite devolution, London needs more powers still.

Labour is right to reject the Tories’ partisan approach that devolution is all about ‘EVEL’ and nothing else. We need to radically reform the relationship between Whitehall and our city-regions and counties, as well as Wales and Scotland.

Greater powers over funding must be key, in London as elsewhere. If we wish to compete with other world cities, it cannot be right that only seven per cent of all taxes raised from Londoners and London businesses are spent by London government, whereas the equivalent figure for New York is nearly 50 per cent.

What is more, we have an excellent blueprint for action – the London Finance Commission, chaired by Tony Travers – which developed a suite of proposals for devolving greater fiscal autonomy to both city hall and London’s boroughs to enable greater and more responsive investment in our capital.

As Khan said in the chamber this week, London ‘still has too little control over its own destiny. Labour has committed itself to devolving significant public service funding and responsibility to London’s government, as well as more fiscal autonomy.’

London’s population is the size of Scotland and Wales combined – and it is set to grow. It will not stand still, nor – as it generates growth which feeds into the nation’s economy – should it. If we are ambitious for our country, we need to be ambitious for our capital.

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Mike Katz is a member of Hampstead and Kilburn constituency Labour party. He tweets @MikeKatz