As I sit here penning this incredulous piece, I cannot help but ask: What in the blazes has happened to this great nation’s sense of merit?
Tomorrow, Sadiq Khan—yes, the man presiding over London’s decline into chaos—will be knighted. A knighthood. For Sadiq Khan. I ask you, does this not feel like a grand cosmic jest? Is Keir Starmer, with a straight face, pulling off the ultimate troll on the British public?
Let’s examine this absurdity, for Khan’s record is less a list of accomplishments and more a chronicle of failure.
Knife crime? Rampant and spiralling. Londoners live in fear, with young lives tragically lost on our streets almost daily. Phone theft? A regular occurrence—ask anyone who dares hold their device in public. And shockingly, one rape is reported every single hour in this once-great city.
And the roads? Chaos. Pure, unadulterated chaos. Traffic moves slower than a snail on a Sunday stroll, thanks to Khan’s misguided rollout of 20mph zones and a litany of baffling one-way changes. The capital has now earned the dubious honour of being Europe’s most congested city and the third-worst worldwide. Ask any black cabbie, and they’ll tell you straight: Khan has turned London’s roads into a nightmare. In fact, I’ve yet to meet a single one who doesn’t utterly despise the man.
And what of our nightlife? Just last week, I strolled down Greek Street in Soho—a place that once overflowed with the buzz of laughter and the cheerful clinking of glasses. Now, it feels like a mere ghost of its former self. The number of 24-hour venues across London has also plummeted, dismantling the city’s hard-earned reputation as a global cultural hub. Under Khan’s so-called “night tsar,” Amy Lamé—paid a jaw-dropping £130,000 annually—the industry has withered. And yet, here we are, about to drape the man in knighthood pomp.
Let us also not forget Khan’s disgraceful handling of the police. At least 36 local police stations closed under his watch, while antisemitism has surged in London. His handling of extremism has also raised eyebrows: defending Islamist figures and sharing platforms with individuals linked to Hamas. What message does this send to victims of hate and violence?
Then, of course, there are his fiscal policies—a masterclass in stealth taxation. Londoners have endured a staggering 71% surge in the mayoral precept, tacked onto their council tax. And for what? Crumbling infrastructure, rising crime, and the steady erosion of what makes London, London.
This knighthood is more than a misstep; it’s an insult. To the victims of knife crime, to Londoners enduring gridlocked roads and rising taxes, to the business owners forced to shutter their doors. It’s a slap in the face to those of us who expect better from our leaders.
And let’s be absolutely clear: this is not about party politics. Mayors from both sides of the aisle have served London with distinction, delivering real, tangible benefits to its people. Boris Johnson gave us the unforgettable 2012 Olympics and the now-iconic Boris bikes. He supported London’s burgeoning tech scene, particularly in East London’s Tech City, attracted record-breaking investment across the board, and elevated London’s global profile, making it a thriving, dynamic city to live and work in. Under Boris, London was booming—investment flowed in, and the capital buzzed with energy and opportunity.
And let’s give credit where it’s due: Ken Livingstone, for all his controversies, introduced the game-changing Oyster card, transforming how millions travelled across the city. He also expanded and improved the bus network achieving a marked increase in ridership and public transport efficiency.
But Sadiq Khan? The man has presided over a city in decline. Knife crime has soared, congestion is the worst in Europe, and nightlife is withering away under his watch. Yet somehow, he gets the gong. It’s baffling, and frankly, an insult to the Londoners who’ve had to endure his years of failure.
MP Lee Anderson summed it up perfectly: “This country is fast becoming a laughing stock. Most Brits will struggle to name one positive thing Khan has done for our capital city. If the man had any shame, he would hand the award back and apologise for ruining our capital city.”
This decision reeks of the political class looking after its own, rewarding failure, and ignoring the people they are meant to serve. Britain deserves better. London deserves better. A knighthood for Sadiq Khan? He should be getting the sack, not the sword.
Claire Bullivant
