Susan Hall is the Conservative candidate for Mayor of London
2024 could be the year that Londoners get the change they seriously deserve. That’s why we’re ramping up our campaign to show people across London that a different way forward is possible. It is a change we desperately need – because Sadiq Khan has let everyone down.
This May, Londoners will have the chance to hold Khan to account for his raft of failures – so let’s remind ourselves of the biggest ones.
Let’s start with crime, an issue that impacts every single Londoner. The situation on our streets has gone from bad to worse since Khan was elected in 2016. Violent crimes, thefts, and anti-social behaviour have skyrocketed, to the point that we have seen gangs of thugs roaming the streets armed with machetes. Vulnerable people now have to think twice before stepping out of their homes. London does not have to be like this, a safer city is possible. It’s a direct result of Khan’s lacklustre leadership of the police which has failed to keep crime in check.
Then there is Khan’s unfair ULEZ expansion scam, a policy that’s more about lining his coffers than cleaning up London’s air. This tax is hammering those who can least afford it. Need to travel across town to pick up your prescription from the pharmacy, or take care of a relative? That’ll be £12.50, thank you very much. And where’s the evidence of whether it’s making our air any cleaner? Khan has conveniently made sure that it is tucked away until after the election. It’s not just unfair, it’s underhanded.
Housing is another area where Khan’s record has been nothing short of a disaster. His approach to building homes – a frenzy of constructing tiny flats in massive skyscrapers – is out of touch with the needs of Londoners. We need affordable, practical, family homes that are high-density and low-rise.
No wonder rents are spiralling, and the dream of homeownership is slipping away for many, when Khan is completing fewer affordable homes per year than his predecessor.
The truth is: that he hasn’t been honest with Londoners about the problems we are facing, nor has he been upfront about his failure to deal with them. In fact, he has been outright dishonest. That is why he is under investigation for making false and dishonest statements to the London Assembly about his team’s interference in the ULEZ expansion consultation. We need a Mayor who will be upfront with people, not someone who brushes things under the carpet.
This is why we need change.
We cannot afford another four years of this, a Mayor who is full of excuses.
My plan for London is about tackling these issues head-on. I’ll put £200 million into the Met Police, ensuring they have the means to make our streets safe again. On day one in office, the ULEZ expansion gets the boot. When it comes to housing, I’m committed to building affordable family homes – real homes that help get rents down and open up homeownership for young people.
And I promise you this: I will always be honest with Londoners, no matter what happens.
The choice for Londoners is clear. Do we stick with the status quo and more of Sadiq Khan’s failures, or do we choose a Mayor who’s ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work fixing the problems he has created?
London deserves so much better. I’m here to deliver just that.