Sadiq Khan stands by machete joke as knife crime 'increases in London by 20%'

Sadiq Khan has stood by a joke he made after his Conservative rival, Susan Hall, raised concerns about 'gangs running around with machetes'.

The mayor then said during a debate on LBC on Tuesday (April 23): "I think the Tory candidate should stop watching The Wire.”

It comes after the Office for National Statistics reported earlier this week that knife crime in London has hit a record high of 14,577 offences in the year to December. This represents an increase of 20 per cent in 12 months.

MyLondon has reported on a number of incidents involving the use of machetes. These includes a father and son attacking a stranger with a machete and a baseball bat after getting into an argument outside Sainsbury's last year, leaving the victim with numerous injuries.

READ MORE: Sadiq Khan unveils plan for ’metro-style’ London suburban train system

In addition, a machete-wielding teenager stabbed a Deliveroo rider in front of terrified onlookers, there was a family feud attack at a Walthamstow pub, a man in his 20s was stabbed outside a South London mosque, and a gang of youths armed with machetes fought in broad daylight in front of horrified members of the public in Stockwell in February.

When asked if his remark about the cop drama was an appropriate comment to make, Mr Khan said: "I'm not sure why somebody who always talk down London wants to be the mayor. I've not heard anything positive about London from the Tory candidate."

Tory candidate 'talks about incidents we see in American fictional programmes'

He added: "You've got a situation where the Tory candidate releases a video of London that uses images of New York. It beggars belief that she does that." He added: "When talking about London, [Ms Hall] talks about these sorts of incidents we see in American fictional programmes.

"I'm clear, crime is a serious issue across the country. I, for years, when I was in Parliament, when I was mayor as well, have talked about the consequences of a choice made to make cuts. The Tories chose to make cuts. Cuts in our police, cuts to youth services and public services and so forth and that's got consequences."

The mayor then said that he is working to reduce crime by 'investing in the police' and being 'tough on the complex causes on crime'. He added: "Where in the Tory candidate's manifesto does she talk about youth clubs, young people, sports, alleviating deprivation, alleviating poverty, providing opportunities?"

MyLondon was told in March that the Conservative video slamming Mr Khan's leadership referenced by the mayor, which included a clip of people panicking and rushing through New York’s Penn Station after false reports of gunfire in 2017, was not made by Ms Hall's campaign.

Susan Hall would 'sort this out'

A spokesperson for Ms Hall said: "Yet again Sadiq evaded responsibility for his lamentable record on crime. It's out of control, on his watch. Susan will sort this out, with a return to borough-based policing, 1,500 more officers and a £200 million injection into met funding. Sadiq has ignored Londoners for eight years, we can't let him ignore us for another four."

Read our full exclusive interview with the current Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, ahead of May 2 here. You can also read MyLondon's interview with the Tory candidate, Susan Hall, here.

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