Nigel Farage targets Reform's first council victories in London as springboard for ousting Sadiq Khan over his 'terrible' record on crime
The Reform leader has made London a key target in his plans to trigger another political ' earthquake' at the local elections in May.
Nigel Farage is bidding to seize control of six London councils next year as he looks to end the capital's reputation as a no-go zone for Reform.
The Reform leader has made London a key target in his plans to trigger another political 'earthquake' at the local elections in May.
In an interview with the Mail, he said Reform would target Sadiq Khan's 'terrible' record on law and order. Mr Farage said success in the capital next year could be the springboard for a serious push to topple Mr Khan in the next mayoral election in 2028.
Reform and its predecessor parties have struggled in the past to gain a foothold in London, which was a stronghold of the Remain campaign.
But Mr Farage said 'everything has changed' since the last election.
The party is pouring resources into the contest in the capital and Mr Farage said it has a 'very real chance' of winning in 'half a dozen' of the 32 London boroughs.
Key targets include the outer London boroughs of. Bromley, Bexley, Havering and Barking and Dagenham.
But Mr Farage, who will launch his party's London campaign at a major event at the Excel centre next month, is also looking for signs of Labour's vote splintering in currently rock-solid parts of inner London where it is under intense pressure from the Greens and other Left-wing parties.
Capital offensive: Nigel Farage is targeting Reform's first electoral success in London
'Labour are going to find their vote horrendously split,' he said. 'With the Greens and Corbyn and the Gaza independents. All these different people. There is a chance that Labour vote really gets hit.'
He added: 'Starmer's problems as we face May are immense, These elections in May are the British equivalent of the US midterms.
'We're going for gold.'
Mr Farage criticised the record of both Mr Khan and the Conservatives on crime in the capital.
'London is in big, big, big, big trouble,' he said.
'Absolutely at the heart of our campaign in London is law and order. Crime is everywhere and Sadiq's record is one of almost not caring about it. It is remarkable. And the Tories' record I'm afraid… 87 per cent of police stations in London closed under the Conservatives. People feel there is no local police station, there is no community policing. They see the dramatic decline in police numbers since 2010 and yet large numbers of Londoners get knocks on the door for what they say on Facebook.