London Mayor Sadiq Khan is facing criticism for refusing to debate Reform UK leader Nigel Farage on the city’s worsening crime crisis. Farage, who recently launched the “Britain is Lawless” campaign, challenged Khan to a televised debate, accusing him of failing to address soaring crime rates in the capital.
Khan’s office rejected the invitation, calling it a “political stunt” and claiming the mayor is “too busy working for Londoners to get crime down.” This comes despite Khan reportedly advising New York socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani ahead of his upcoming election.
Farage responded, “It’s just extraordinary and cowardly, and everyone knows that London is becoming lawless. What is Khan afraid of? I don’t bite.” Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice labeled the mayor “Coward Khan” for avoiding the public debate.
Official statistics show shoplifting in London surged by 53 percent in the year ending March—more than any other region in Britain. Knife crime rose by nine percent, with 16,344 incidents reported, accounting for one-third of the national total. Since Khan took office, violent crime has risen from 190,000 to 250,000 cases annually.
Khan’s office argued that youth murder figures have dropped to levels not seen since 2003, and killings of individuals under 25 are down to 2013 levels.
Farage, warning of “societal collapse,” called for policies mirroring Rudy Giuliani’s crime crackdown in New York. His plan includes recruiting 30,000 police officers, creating 30,000 new prison spaces—some on military land—and implementing a three-strikes rule for violent offenders. He also proposed deporting over 10,000 foreign criminals and considering a Trump-style deal with El Salvador to transfer life-sentenced inmates abroad.
