Sir Sadiq Khan’s willingness to tackle his political critics head-on is key to preventing a “misleading anti-London narrative”, sources close to the Mayor have said.
In recent weeks the Mayor has been accused of overseeing a “lawless” city and been branded the wrong man in charge by Reform UK, the Conservative Party and most notably, US President Donald Trump.
Sir Sadiq, who has been Mayor since 2016 and could still run for a fourth term in 2028, has responded directly to any detractors in order to get on the front foot and “putting the facts out there”, allies have said.
Last night the Mayor of London accused Mr Trump of “using London and our diversity as a political football, as a proxy for a culture war”.
He also said remarks from the US President, in which Sir Sadiq was labelled a “nasty person” who has “done a terrible job” in London, were “water off a duck’s back”.
Speaking at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Mayor said he would still be “more than happy to meet President Trump” during his state visit next month.
His words were indicative of a more assertive strategy from City Hall to resist any portrayals of London as a city in decline.
Recent media articles by Sir Sadiq have boasted of the capital’s “resilience, success and optimism”, while the Mayor’s official social media accounts have also tried to counter the “lawless London” narrative by posting data showing some forms of crime have fallen.
A source close to the Mayor of London told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “London is the UK’s powerhouse, from our economic strength to our cultural industries, yet both the Tories and Reform have a deliberate strategy of talking down our capital city. This is unpatriotic and self defeating.
“‘In tactics being copied from Donald Trump in the US, London is increasingly being put on the front line of the nation’s culture wars.
“‘The way Donald Trump is talking about cities in the US is the same playbook as Jenrick and Farage in the UK.
“Any posts denigrating London are also given rocket boosters by the algorithms on X, which just encourage ring-wing politicians and commentators to talk down our capital city even further.
“So we’re pushing back and putting the facts out there. Whether on the reductions in violent crime, London’s cleaner and healthier streets, or promoting the fantastic summer we’re having for music events and sport, we’re being more robust in tackling the misleading anti-London narrative being propagated.”
The subject of Mr Trump’s arrival has been a flashpoint in the London Assembly, with City Hall Conservatives leader Susan Hall, who said she “completely agrees” with the US President and that she was “looking forward” to his visit.
Earlier this year, she said Sir Sadiq should “do his own job properly” in London before taking aim at the US President.
Kumail Jaffer is a Local Democracy Reporter covering City Hall and London-wide political news, with a focus on housing, transport, policing, regeneration and issues affecting communities across the capital. Before joining the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he worked as a political and foreign correspondent for national newspapers including the Daily Mail.
