Boris Johnson has branded Sadiq Khan an “abject failure” in a brutal takedown of the safety of London’s streets.
In a fiercely written column the former PM boasted the comparatively lower homicide rate in the capital when he was its mayor.
Recently Mr Khan was slammed for staying silent on knife and gun crime in London, and instead “declaring a war on motorists”, as the number of teenagers murdered in the capital reached 14.
This was as many as were murdered in the whole of 2022 in the capital. The number for 2023 has since increased to 18.
In his column for MailOnline, Mr Johnson described a conversation he had with an unnamed “Brazilian tycoon” who said London was the “greatest city on earth” and loved Brexit – but was worried about the level of crime.
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He added: “In fact, it was only a few weeks previously that I had been given the same sort of message by an audience in Nevada. I tried to fight back.
“I told them that they were exaggerating, and that London remained, by international standards, a very safe city — but they began gurning and barracking me, and I felt I was losing them.
“The customer is always right, and if we want the world’s biggest spenders to come and lighten their wallets in London, then we don’t want thugs picking their pockets in Piccadilly.”
However, he was clear that those who are most affected by crime rates in London are those with little money to fall back on.
Mr Johnson wrote: “It’s the people of the city, the people of this country who deserve so much better.
“It’s everyone else who suffers — the people on lower incomes, because it is they who are disproportionately affected by crime, and the poorest worst of all.
“The view of commonsense people across this country — and especially in the capital — is that the police are not on their side.”
Taking aim at Mr Khan, the former PM described him as an “abject failure”.
Stats reveal that last year, a mobile phone was stolen in the capital every six minutes.
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The Met Police says 90,864 phones, or almost 250 a day, were stolen in 2022.
In an open letter, mayor Sadiq Khan and Met chief Sir Mark Rowley said software designers must “develop solutions to make this crime less rewarding”.
Mr Johnson also claimed the police were allowing “hate-filled Lefties to shout anti-Semitic slogans” in the capital.
Officers have been increasing patrols following a rise in both Antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7.
A total of 133 people have been arrested for crimes including racially aggravated public order offences, assaulting police and criminal damage since October 7.
In addition, three women have been held for terrorism offences, two after being seen wearing images of paragliders and a third suspected of supporting Hamas online.
Of the 133 arrested, 26 people have been charged, 14 for allegations of Antisemitism and six for allegations of Islamophobia.
Police are understood to be gearing up for a large-scale operation next weekend as a series of protests are planned during Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday.
Express.co.uk has contacted the London Mayor’s office for comment.
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