London Mayor Sadiq Khan has accused President Donald Trump of spreading “lies and propaganda” about crime in the capital, in remarks made as police arrested multiple teenagers following violent disorder that saw families barricaded inside shops during mob rampages through Clapham.
Sir Sadiq demanded British diplomats worldwide help counter what he characterised as American “disinformation” about London, insisting the city remains safer than major US metropolitan areas despite Mr Trump’s claims that crime is “through the roof.”
The timing proved awkward as the Mayor addressed diplomats from nations including the United States, United Arab Emirates and Japan at the Foreign Office whilst officers imposed dispersal orders on hundreds of youths who had descended on the south London suburb following social media “linkup” posts.
A security guard described shoppers as “very scared” during Tuesday’s chaos, recounting: “There was one lady with a pram and a baby. She was terrified but police escorted her to safety.”
Sir Sadiq dismissed the President’s previous accusations that London wants “to go to sharia law,” stating: “It is just a fact that London is just far safer than not just any major city in the United States of America, but any state in the United States of America.”
He highlighted data showing the capital recorded its lowest homicides per capita since records commenced, alongside recent declines in phone-snatching, whilst acknowledging London “was not perfect.”
The Mayor warned that Mr Trump’s rhetoric—amplified through “YouTube films or posts on TikTok”—could discourage tourists, investors and students from visiting the capital. He stated he had briefed Foreign Office diplomats and police to ensure they possess “the facts at their disposal to rebut the concerns people have.”
The White House responded forcefully, with a spokesman asserting “left-wing policies have made once-great cities like London unrecognisable.” The administration claimed Mr Trump was “rightfully warning European leaders that Western civilisation will continue to erode if they don’t quickly reverse course.”
The public confrontation extends a feud spanning over a decade. Sir Sadiq condemned Mr Trump’s 2016 campaign pledge to ban Muslims from America as “outrageous,” whilst in 2018 he permitted anti-Trump activists to fly a protest balloon depicting the President as a crying infant.
Mr Trump previously warned the capital “needs a new mayor asap,” describing Khan as “a disaster” who would make conditions worse. Last year at the United Nations, he renewed attacks branding Sir Sadiq “a terrible mayor.”
However, Sir Sadiq’s assurances about safety face scrutiny following a London Assembly Police and Crime Committee report revealing Transport for London recorded 48,000 crimes in 2025—a 46 per cent increase against pre-pandemic averages of 16,544.
The committee’s examination of violence against women and girls on the transport network found London’s strategy “unacceptable,” with Chairwoman Marina Ahmad stating: “Where we expected to find a problem, what we found was a crisis.”
Seven in ten Londoners are choosing not to travel due to personal security fears, London TravelWatch informed the committee.
