"Sadiq Khan has nowhere to hide anymore"
Sir Sadiq Khan has been accused of “cowardice” after declining a televised debate with Nigel Farage on crime in London.
The Mayor of London turned down Farage’s offer of a head-to-head showdown, just as it emerged that shoplifting in the capital had risen by more than half in the past year.
This comes as the Reform UK leader launched a “six-week offensive” of policy announcements focusing particularly on crime and punishment.
Farage told The Telegraph: “Labour have been in government for over a year.
“Sadiq Khan has nowhere to hide anymore; the blame for his record in office lies solely at his feet.
“He has failed Londoners. London is lawless and London needs Reform.”
A spokesman for Khan dismissed Farage’s offer as a “political stunt” and said the Mayor was “too busy working for Londoners to get crime down” to take part.
In response, Farage said: “It’s just extraordinary and cowardly, and everyone knows that London is becoming lawless. What is Khan afraid of? I don’t bite.”
A crime survey released by the Office for National Statistics found that shoplifting in London had increased by 53% over the 12 months to March.
This was the steepest rise anywhere in the country.
London also recorded 16,344 knife crime incidents, an annual rise of nine per cent, accounting for a third of all knife offences in England and Wales.
Sir Sadiq Khan’s spokesman said: “The Mayor is too busy working for Londoners to get crime down to get involved in political stunts.
“Nothing’s more important to the Mayor than keeping Londoners safe.”
“Sadiq is determined to do all he can to tackle crime and its complex causes, which is why he has invested record sums in the police and in providing positive opportunities for young people.
“Sadiq is building on the progress that’s been achieved in London with the number of young people being injured with a knife, homicides, lethal barrel discharge and burglary all down since 2016.”
The Mayor’s office added that the number of teenage murders in London was at its lowest rate since 2003, while the number of under-25s killed was at its lowest since 2013.
The spokesman concluded: “All this has been achieved despite government austerity since 2010.”
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