James Ford: It’s not just ‘Lawless London’ that should concern us, but the ‘Unsafe Underground’ too
James Ford critiques Sadiq Khan's portrayal of crime in London, arguing that the narrative of a crime-free city is misleading. He highlights rising crime statistics, particularly on the transport network, including a significant increase in assaults on staff and passengers. The article emphasizes public concern over safety and declining satisfaction with Transport for London (TfL).
- ▪The number of sexual offences on the London Underground averaged 2.6 assaults per day in 2025, the highest level in five years.
- ▪Assaults on TfL staff or contractors have doubled to about 200 a week, with violent incidents against bus drivers tripling compared to the previous year.
- ▪Passenger numbers on London buses have decreased by 62 million journeys between April and December 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
James Ford is a political columnist for City AM and a former adviser on transport policy to Boris Johnson during his time as Mayor of London. Sadiq Khan would very much like it if people would stop using the phrase ‘Lawless London’. It really seems to wind the little fella up. He is very keen that everyone buys into the false narrative that he is winning the war on crime in London. To suggest that London is anything but a crime-free utopia is, in Khan’s mind, a pernicious, right-wing, dystopian delusion variously intended to talk down the metropolis, a Trumpian trope, and the result of a “dark blizzard of disinformation” online supported by Beijing and the Kremlin.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at ConservativeHome.
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