Sadiq Khan has been slammed by Conservative mayoral candidate Susan Hall for not putting enough money into the Metropolitan Police and "blaming the Government" for the situation.
Speaking at the London Assembly, Hall pointed out that Khan has a £21 billion budget, demanding he "put his hand in his pocket" to fund the police.
WATCH: Susan Hall challenges Sadiq Khan over £21 billion budget
The London mayoral candidate's comments came after Khan claimed he "cannot fill the massive hole left by Government".
Hall responded: "Mr Mayor - if you put as much energy into looking into how you could help the police as you do as to how you could blame the government for absolutely everything.
"And can we remember please, you have been the Police and Crime Commissioner for the past seven years.
"In my view, you certainly haven't always supported the police not as much as you absolutely should.
"And you have got a 21 billion pound budget."
She added: "I look forward to hearing just how much you are going to put your hand in your pocket for something that is really necessary.
"Because you started off this meeting saying that your biggest priority is to keep Londoners safe.
"Well, let me tell you, Londoners don't feel very safe at the moment. Jewish Londoners feel very, very unsafe at the moment.
"So I look forward to our next meeting, when you tell me how much you are going to put into the Metropolitan Police, the police force or which you are responsible for."
Hall also accused Khan of "shutting down scrutiny" of the police by "excluding anyone who might cause him problems" from the policing board.
Speaking after the exchange, Susan Hall claimed: "Sadiq Khan has nobbled the policing board, adding in some of his Labour activist friends and excluding anyone who might cause him problems.
"These should have been appointed by an independent panel, not Sadiq Khan's deputies and chief of staff.
Hall also accused Khan of "shutting down scrutiny" of the police by "excluding anyone who might cause him problems" from the policing board
PA
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"He is clearly shutting down scrutiny of the Met Police before the election, because he is embarrassed of his failures over the last seven and a half years.
"As Mayor I will embrace scrutiny, not run from it."
Responding, a spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “Policing in our city needs to improve and change and the voices of Londoners – with a wide range of professional skills and lived experiences – must be at the heart of driving this reform.
“As a Board very much independent from the Met, it is expected they will have a variety of strong opinions and perspectives.
“As well as experts in front-line policing and law, the Board has strong representation from communities who have been let down by the police and have the lowest levels of trust in the Met – their contribution will be invaluable to driving the level of reform outlined in Baroness Casey’s review.
“The Mayor is pleased to be working with Board members and looks forward to the next meeting in December as work continues to publicly oversee and scrutinise the systematic and cultural reform of the police in our city as build a safer London for everyone.”
