Sadiq Khan has hit back at Nigel Farage and others for painting London as a 'dystopian hellhole' despite falling crime stats. The Mayor of London said right-wing politicians are painting crime in the capital as worse than it is for their own political gain.
Crime stats show improvement
Stats released today show phone theft is down by 50%, murder is at its lowest per capita rate in recorded history, making London safer than Berlin, Barcelona, Madrid, Paris and every US state. In the year to June, 'neighbourhood' offences, including theft, personal robbery and vehicle offences, fell 14%. There are also 13,000 fewer victims of phone theft.
A source close to Khan told Metro: 'Whether Musk, Farage or the captains of online disinformation, they want to paint London as a dystopian hellhole. These latest stats on high-volume crime show it is coming down even further. London is getting safer.'
Political agenda behind criticism
Speaking at Holborn Police Station today, the mayor added that this is ignored due to the fact 'London is multicultural'. He told Metro: 'Despite all the work, we know there are some people, for their own political agenda, who want to do London down, to create a dystopian image. This tends to be those people who don't like the fact here in London we are multicultural, we are progressive, we are liberal and we are incredibly successful. We're the antithesis to everything they believe in.'
Nigel Farage has said London is gripped in a 'crime wave' with Reform's mayoral candidate Laila Cunningham saying the city was 'no longer safe'. Even US President Donald Trump has said the UK's capital was moving towards sharia law, and describing the city's hospitals as 'war zones'.
Met commissioner backs figures
Sir Mark Rowley, the Met commissioner, said: 'The figures are clear, London is safe and getting safer each year. Neighbourhood policing is the foundation of what we do and neighbourhood crime is down 14 per cent across the capital. This reduction is a reflection of a wider policing approach and the dedication and hard work of local officers, working with specialist colleagues across the Met and using cutting-edge technology to bring more criminals to justice.'
