London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

Sadiq Khan tells Boris Johnson: We urgently need more police in London

Sadiq Khan tells Boris Johnson: We urgently need more police in London

London mayor Sadiq Khan has said the capital urgently needs more police officers as he called on the Government for more support. He believe that police is the answer, not better education and economic fairness.

Mr Khan said: "We've got fewer police officers now than any time since 2003, while the population has risen by two million.

"Are the police worried about the lack of numbers? The answer is yes.

"Our police work so hard. They are under-resourced and over-stretched.

"We need more officers and so I'm using City Hall money - council tax and business rates - to recruit more, but we need central government to give us more support to reverse the cuts made.

"In the eight years before I became mayor, Boris Johnson never raised council tax to pay for police. In my first three years I've raised council tax the maximum I'm allowed to do by law to divert it to the police.

"Our police is funded by roughly 80% by central government and 20% by other sources. It's now gone down to 70% from central because I've raised other sources, but I can't fill the massive hole left by £1 billion of cuts."

He also argued that London's police force were using their stop and search powers in the way Mr Johnson favours but that there were too few officers left.

He also said the "preventative side" of fighting knife crime such as youth clubs had been slashed due to cuts.

Mr Khan also stated he had written to Mr Johnson after the former Mayor was elected by Conservative Party members, but said he had not yet spoken to him since he took office.

The London mayor also gave his views on Mr Johnson's first two weeks in office and branded the new Prime Minister a "liar".

He also said he has filled his cabinet with ministers who have "seriously obnoxious views", while he also expressed concern over the possibility of a no deal Brexit.

In the interview he also addressed his ongoing spats with US president Donald Trump and said: "I have no idea what Donald Trump has against the Muslim Mayor of London."
He described the president as "the poster boy for the far-right, racist movement around around the world," and added: "My worry is we don't realise some of the things he has said and done because of normalisation," pointing to Mr Trump's racist comments about Mexicans, the proposed Muslim travel ban, as well as the ban on transgender people serving in the American armed forces.

Mr Khan said: "We've all got to be vigilant to the fact that you've got the President of the USA who has views that are paraded by terrorists in Christchurch, by terrorists in El Paso, by terrorists in this country and by terrorists all over the world.

"That should worry us."

Reacting to Mr Trump's Twitter criticisms about him, and whether he baits him, Mr Khan said: "I challenge you to find any tweet that I've done proactively saying anything about Trump.

"In fact, the man's obsessed with me - I'm seriously worried.

"I'm the Mayor of London, I'm quite busy and haven't got the time to check my Twitter, let alone take the time to respond.

"This guy is President of the USA and if you get the chance, count how many times he's tweeted about me."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×