The Office for National Statistics revealed today that 15,080 knife offences were recorded in London during the 12 months to the end of last September, which is a new record for the capital.
Shaun Bailey is the Conservative Party candidate for London Mayor – who is putting crime at the centre of his pitch – and he is making hay out the announcement.
Bailey’s attack line which will be relentlessly deployed is that Sadiq Khan has spent too much time on self-promotion and not enough time tackling crime.
Bailey’s slogan is “Shaun Bailey for London” but his main campaign platform is #makelondonsafeagain.
It’s reminiscent of Trump’s 2016 strap line but given the high salience of crime as an issue and the Evening Standard newspaper’s penchant for reporting on it, it will feel very relevant to Londoners.
