Farage announces Laila Cunningham as Reform candidate for London mayor

The Reform UK leader also said Ms Cunningham will play a central role in the party’s campaign ahead of May’s elections, which he called the “single most significant” electoral test ahead of the next general election.

Ms Cunningham, a Westminster City councillor, signalled she would focus on a crackdown on crime as Reform’s London mayoral candidate.

She and Mr Farage appeared together at a press conference on Wednesday morning in the capital, surrounded by banners which read “London needs Reform”.

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She took aim at Labour Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan’s record on crime, and said she had a “different message” for Londoners.

“There will be a new sheriff in town, and I’ll be launching an all-out war on crime,” Ms Cunningham said.

She added: “I will set clear, high-level priorities for the Met to focus on tackling knife crime, drugs, robbery, shoplifting, rape.”

She also said she would task the police with “targeting, hunting and prosecuting rape gangs in London”.

Asked how she would reduce crime, the Westminster councillor said she would rewrite the London police and crime plan and give “new marching orders” to the Metropolitan Police to “tackle crime that matters”.

Ms Cunningham said policing problems in the Met were about priorities rather than recruitment.

The Reform mayoral candidate said she would scrap Ulez, the ultra-low emission zone, if she won power in London.

Ulez requires drivers to pay a daily charge based on how polluting the emissions from their vehicle are.

“I’d scrap Ulez, because I don’t think a war on motorists helps anyone,” Ms Cunningham said.

She was less certain about whether she would get rid of the congestion charge, telling a press conference “you will have to wait and find out”.