Sir Sadiq Khan has been accused of presiding over London's decline. (Image: Getty)
Sir Sadiq Khan has shrugged off criticism of his knighthood but figures show London appears to be declining under his leadership.
The Labour Mayor of London, who is the son of a bus driver and former human rights lawyer, said he was "truly humbled" to receive the gong in the New Year's Honours List.
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But he has been criticised by Conservative Party politicians, who accuse him of presiding over London's "destruction". Supporters have pointed to Sir Sadiq's efforts to clean up the capital's air and provision of free school meals for primary school pupils.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, who is the MP for Croydon South in the capital, has said that under Sir Sadiq, Londoners have faced a 61% increase in knife crime, a housing crisis and a 70% increase in council tax.
He claimed: "They will rightly be furious his track record of failure is being rewarded."
Matthew Goodwin-Freeman, a Conservative councillor for Hatch End who launched a petition against the knighthood, tweeted that Sir Sadiq should have received the knighthood for "services to destroying London".
Reform UK MP Lee Anderson also launched a scathing attack ahead of the official announcement of Sir Sadiq's honour, telling Express.co.uk the UK is "fast becoming a laughing stock".
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Since he was first elected mayor in 2016, violent crime has risen from under 200,000 in 2016-17 to just over 250,000 in 2023-24, according to Met Police figures cited by the Telegraph.
Ahead of Sir Sadiq's record third term in office, the families of youngsters killed on the capital's streets accused the mayor of "completely losing control" as figures showed a 20% rise in gun and knife crime.
The Office for National Statistics announced in the spring of last year that 14,626 knife offences were recorded in London in 2023. This was 2,481 more than in 2022, with an average of 40 reported knife crimes per day.
Gun crime leapt up, too, with 1,208 in 2023, up by more than 200 on the 1,010 recorded the year before.
Offences on the London Underground also increased 56% between 2022 and 2023. A TfL Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour report found a third of Londoners have worried about their personal security on public transport over the last three months, according to the Telegraph.
Sir Sadiq blamed Tory's cuts to policing budgets while the party was in power between 2010 and 2024.
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Croydon South MP Chris Philp says Londoners will be furious. (Image: Getty)
Department for Transport figures, also cited by the Telegraph, show average delays on major A roads and motorways in Greater London have increased by a quarter since 2021.
This has been attributed to the Mayor's roll out of 20mph speed limits, which Transport for London has defended for helping to save lives on the capital's roads.
Figures from the Night Time Industries Association show a 15.4% decrease in the number of nighttime economy businesses between March 2020 and December 2023.
Sir Sadiq's office has argued London's night-time businesses continue to face challenges post-COVID, with increased costs and staff shortages.
The London Precept, a levy added to Londoners' council tax bills to fund capital-wide schemes, has also risen from ￡276 in 2016 to ￡471 this financial year.
London's mayor has said the rises are needed to plug gaps in government funding for Scotland Yard, London Fire Brigade and TfL.
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Lee Anderson says Britian is fast becoming a laughing stock. (Image: Getty)
In the wake of the furore over his knighthood, Sir Sadiq hit back at his critics. He said on Tuesday (December 31, 2024): Look, today's not the first time the Conservatives have criticised me. Unless they've done a new year's resolution, it won't be the last time they criticise me.
"What's really important, though, is to thank His Majesty the King for bestowing upon me this honour. It's humbling for me. My father passed away more than 20 years ago. I was with my mum last night when the news broke about this knighthood and she's just chuffed. I mean, she's someone who's a migrant to this country.
"My parents, they've worked incredibly hard like migrants do and they're really proud that one of their children has been given this honour. It shows that in London, if you work hard, there's a helping hand, you can achieve anything."
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A spokesperson for the Mayor said Sir Sadiq continues to build a fairer, safer and greener London for everyone.
They added: "He’s started a record number of new affordable homes, provided free schools meals for children at every state primary school in the capital, and taken bold action to clean up the air Londoners breathe. The Elizabeth Line also continues to be a huge success.
"Despite the huge cuts to policing from the last Government, the Mayor has invested record amounts in front-line policing, in addition to tackling the complex causes of crime."