The Conservative mayoral campaign for London had developed a nasty tone well before last week. But last Monday, it sank to a new low with an attack video that used misinformation and footage from New York to try to depict London as the “crime capital” of the world.
The ad – reportedly made by Conservative campaign headquarters – makes a number of false accusations. Mocked up to resemble an American disaster film, it describes London as “under siege” with “criminals ruling the streets”. This is despite the fact that London has one of the lowest anti-social behaviour rates in the country, that murder rates have fallen in recent years and that, while knife crime rates are higher than average, they are more prevalent in the West Midlands, which has a Conservative mayor. People are less likely to be a victim of crime in London than on average in England.
