Sadiq Khan blasted for 'talking about Brexit' instead of tackling knife crime as Mayor blamed for 'escalating violence'
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Sadiq Khan has been accused of "talking about Brexit" instead of tackling knife crime, with Conservative Mayoral Candidate for London Susan Hall claiming he is responsible for "escalating" levels of violent crime in the capital.
She accused the Mayor of "pointing the finger of blame at everyone but himself".
This comes just days after Home Secretary James Cleverly blamed a sharp rise in knife crime in London for driving an increase across England and Wales.
In a letter to Khan, Cleverly claimed that - if London's recent record was excluded - there would have been a small drop across the country.
Sadiq Khan has been accused of "talking about Brexit" instead of tackling knife crime,
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Knife crime increased by 22 per cent in London in the year to 23 September, the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show. Across the country, offences increased by 5 per cent.
But City Hall dubbed Cleverly's remarks a "desperate attack" to draw attention away from the Government's underfunding of policing in the capital.
Writing an opinion piece for GB News, Hall said: "It’s been eight painful years since Sadiq Khan took over at City Hall. Eight long years that he’s been responsible for the Metropolitan Police. And what do we have to show for it?
"Londoners have watched as crime has skyrocketed on his watch, violent crime, and knife violence especially. So, it was galling this week to see Labour trotting out lines they didn’t even seem entirely convinced of, attempting to talk tough on crime, whilst their own Mayor achieves nothing.
"It was reported here on GB News that crime rates across the city have soared, and Khan has opted to blame others (again) rather than act himself.
"For so many years he has tried to talk tough but failed to be tough. It wasn’t that long ago that he blamed violent phone robberies on people having ‘attractive phones’. I mean, really!
"And this week murders in our city tragically topped one thousand – what was Khan doing? Talking about Brexit. I could hardly believe it. The gall of the man, to rabbit on about Remain, when the city he is meant to be running is falling apart in front of our eyes."
She added: "Our great city is a tragic example of what happens when you have a man at the top who has checked out of the job he is meant to be doing. Whilst we grapple with the consequences of escalating violence, Sadiq Khan seeks to shift the blame, and it’s getting wearisome.
"Instead of shouldering responsibility for the escalating violence that is spilling out into the streets every day, he insists on pointing the figure of blame at everyone but himself. Why? Because he knows he’s out of answers, and he knows he is running out of time."
But hitting back at Hall's remarks, a spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “Government cuts have been a disaster for combating crime across the country, particularly youth violence. The Government has cut £1bn from the Met Police in real terms since 2010 and £1 billion from youth services nationally, which has had a devastating impact on the vital support communities can provide. Cuts have consequences.
“The Mayor continues to step in to fill the financial gaps left by the Government as much as possible, investing record amounts from City Hall to support the police, including an additional £88m this year alone. He has increased funding for the police by 93 per cent since 2016 and invested in positive opportunities for over 300,000 young Londoners at risk of getting involved in gangs and violence.
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Susan Hall speaks to protesters at an anti-Ulez demonstration
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“The latest ONS statistics show that violence against the person in London is below the average for England and Wales. The Mayor’s record investment in the police and early intervention, through London’s Violence Reduction Unit, has contributed to homicides, gun crime and the number of young people being injured with knives all falling in London since 2016, despite London’s population rising and the impact of government austerity.
"But it’s clear that violent crime remains far too high and there’s much more to do. That’s why Sadiq is determined to continue being tough on crime and tough on the complex causes of crime, but we urgently need the Government to follow our lead and commit to properly funding the police and our youth services to help us build a safer London for everyone.”