Priti Patel challenges Sadiq Khan-‘Put Policing first not PR’

The new Home Secretary Priti Patel has challenged the embattled Mayor of London today over claims that he is wasting money on public relations that could go towards crime-fighting.

Priti Patel demanded his “personal reassurances that you are putting as much resource as you possibly can into the Metropolitan Police Service”. in a strongly worded letter sent today. Mayor Khan has nearly doubled his PR budget from £1.3 million to £2.5 million in the last 3 years and said:

“Londoners must be confident their Police and Crime Commissioner is doing everything in his power to put an end to this senseless violence. I want to see what robust plans you have in place to reduce violent crime in the capital. I understand there have been 90 homicides so far this year. That is 90 too many.”

According to The Metro Ms Patel has refused to spell out how many extra police London will get, after Mr Khan wrote to her demanding an assurance the Met will get at least 5,000 of the 20,000 more promised nationally by the Prime Minister. She told him she was talking to the Met “on the allocations of these officers”. Mr Khan claimed the Government has refused” to provide the resources we desperately need”.

On immigration, Ms Patel rejected his warnings that EU citizens could face a Windrush-style scandal as “inappropriate”, and urged him to encourage Londoners from EU countries to take out settled status. A spokesman for the Mayor said Ms Patel was “playing political games” on policing, and EU citizens had become “bargaining chips”.

The Mayor of London replied through a Spokesperson saying:“After years of Government cuts to the police and preventative services, it is deeply disappointing that the Home Secretary is playing political games rather than setting out how Ministers will urgently address violent crime in London. Furthermore, there remain serious concerns about the Home Secretary’s plans to end the free movement of labour on day one of a no-deal Brexit. The Mayor strongly believes this is wrong, and that it is callous and cruel to use people as bargaining chip.”