He said: "Applications are still coming in. If anything they might increase. Firms are asking whether they should go to New York or here."
The mayor said many firms believe London provides a safer business environment because the British security authorities are perceived to have more experience in handling terrorism.
He said: "Our security is so much better. In the United States you can just walk onto a plane. There's no way you could hijack four planes simultaneously here."
Regus, a firm that specialises in the rented office sector, has leant weight to Livingstone's claims by confirming that it has been asked to provide accommodation in the City of London for financial service operators that were once housed in the twin towers (好色先生TV, 28 September, pages 24-25).
Livingstone has also rejected claims that mounting concern over the vulnerability of tall buildings would scupper his plans to construct 15 to 20 skyscrapers in the capital in the next 10 years. "You're more likely to be killed crossing the road than in a terrorist attack," he said.
