The London Assembly has urged Mayor Boris Johnson to push for a mandatory London Minimum Wage.

Assembly Members backed a motion highlighting the findings of a recent report from the Centre for London think tank which found that the minimum wage in London could easily be raised by 7% - and later by 20% - without threatening jobs or economic competitiveness.

The motion was proposed to halt a slide in the number of jobs paying the voluntary London Living Wage and to reflect the high cost of energy, rents and transport in the capital.

As an intermediary step, the Assembly also called on the Government to amend National Minimum Wage legislation to require the Low Pay Commission to make recommendations for a London Minimum Wage.

Fiona Twycross AM, who proposed the motion said: "Everyone deserves a far day’s pay for a fair day’s work but across the capital thousands are subsisting on a wage lower than they need to look after themselves and their families.

"Research has suggested that the current National Minimum Wage could easily be raised by 7% in London without threatening jobs and competitiveness. Such a move would finally create a truly fair ‘London Minimum Wage’ and help countless families struggling with the spiralling cost of transport and accommodation."