Nearly 10 years ago, Labour was unassailable in London. One of the world’s biggest cities, global, filled with Left-wing migrants. It loved Jeremy Corbyn and hated Brexit.
The Tories were routed, not even on the pitch. Three times now, Sadiq Khan has been returned to City Hall, at least two of them loveless, default victories owing to poor-quality opposition offerings. But now, as we were told on Wednesday, there’s a “new sheriff in town”, and she may just be the person to give Londoners a fresh start.
Laila Cunningham, a woman most in Westminster hadn’t heard of a year ago but has shot up the Reform ranks, was unveiled as Nigel Farage’s pick for mayor of London candidate. A former Tory councillor who defected last year, a Muslim woman, and a mother of seven children.
Born and bred in London, she poses the first real challenge to Mr Khan since he entered City Hall nine very long years ago.
She’s a woman on a mission, repeatedly hammering home the issue of crime, women’s safety, and ending the hateful divide-and-rule strategy of race-obsessed Sadiq Khan.
We haven’t seen a more refreshing entrance into London politics since Boris Johnson entered the fray.
Ms Cunningham rightly warned: “Khan can’t ignore me anymore.”
She set out her policy, well over two years out from the election, but a sign Reform is deadly serious about posing a serious challenge in a city abandoned by Right-wing politics for too long.
Her platform? “A London where our flag will be flown proudly across the city. As a symbol of unity and pride.
“A united London. No more splitting us into boxes – black, brown, gay, straight, we are all Londoners in one box.”
As Farage warned Labour: “Don’t mess with a vigilante mum!”
Ms Cunningham first made a name by tracking down masked muggers who targeted her children after the police refused to act. It’s clear that crime will be front and centre of Reform’s campaign, both in the mayoral election and the more pressing May local borough elections.
Sadiq Khan and establishment commentators repeatedly claim that everything is hunky-dory when it comes to crime, and it’s all part of a far-Right misinformation campaign when raising the very real fears of ordinary Londoners.
But whether it’s young professionals terrified of taking their phones out on the street, mums scared for their school-age children and the scourge of knife crime, gang-related violence terrorising streets, Londoners know crime is sky-high, and place the blame at the door of Sadiq Khan.
Nigel Farage acknowledged he has previously struggled to make headway in London, but this time around it feels different.
Just this week, a new poll came out showing Labour is now polling record lows in the capital, while Reform is in second place. Give this Government another few years of failure, and that could begin to change even more in Nigel Farage’s favour.
Cunningham’s a canny pick by Farage, and the Labour London establishment should be very worried.