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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment
Sadiq Khan

Sorry, Trump and Farage – London is no lawless ‘warzone’. Violent crime is lower than ever

Nigel Farage and Laila Cunningham, Reform UK candidate for mayor of London, at a press conference at London Bridge, 7 January 2026.
Nigel Farage and Laila Cunningham, Reform UK candidate for mayor of London, at a press conference at London Bridge, 7 January 2026. Photograph: Guy Bell/Shutterstock

Last year, something extraordinary happened in London. As the conversation about crime got even louder, London quietly reached the lowest per capita homicide rate in its recorded history. Even London’s harshest critics have to accept this is impressive progress.

For too many, it will no doubt come as a surprise. In recent years, politicians and commentators have sought to spam our social media feeds with an endless stream of distortions and untruths – painting a dystopian picture of a lawless place where criminals run rampant.

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