Watch: Robert Jenrick confront Tube fare dodgers as he slams London mayor Sadiq Khan for 'out of control' lawbreaking

29 May 2025, 12:50 | Updated: 29 May 2025, 16:52

Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick confronted suspected fare dodgers at an east London train station - asking one if he is carrying a knife and facing a barrage of four-letter abuse.

Accusing London Mayor Sadiq Khan of “driving a proud city into the ground” footage shows the former minister approaching three men who forced their way through the ticket barriers at Stratford station, in east London, demanding they explain why they did not pay.

Mr Jenrick asked one: “Do you want to go back and pay like everybody else?” before telling another that “everyone else has to pay”.

One man, wearing a black coat and baseball cap, told the shadow Cabinet minister to “f--- off”, to which he replied: “You can say f---off as much as you want.”

At one point in the video, he is heard asking a fare dodger: “You what, you’re carrying a knife, did you say?”

Mr Jenrick is seen escorted one fare dodger to a group of Transport for London (TfL) rail enforcement officers and told the man: “You’re on camera, mate. You’re bang to rights.”

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Robert Jenrick confronts fare dodgers

During the video, Jenrick alleges he saw eight police officers failing to intervene and several ticket barriers left wide open.

One Transport for London employee is seen reclining in a booth with his feet up, appearing to scroll through a mobile phone.

Hitting out at London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Mr Jenrick wrote on X: “Lawbreaking is out of control. He’s not acting. So, I did.”

Mr Jenrick warned that these offences are “chipping away at society.”

He also made reference to what he described as “weird” Turkish barber shops, which he claimed are used as fronts for money laundering.

“It’s so annoying watching so many people break the law and get away with it,” he added.

Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA), which represents the British Transport Police, condemned Mr Jenrick for “playing hero on the commute”.

Maryam Eslamdoust, the TSSA general secretary, said: “We’ve long said that fare evasion should be tackled through proper investment in staffing and enforcement and not by MPs playing hero on the commute.

“What we need is a fully funded British Transport Police, more London Underground revenue control teams, and a serious plan to tackle the causes of fare evasion. What we don’t need are performative interventions laced with bizarre and offensive commentary.”

The union added: “The latest incident involving a Conservative MP, who took it upon himself to confront a fare dodger on public transport, highlights the dangers of vigilante justice.

'Not a victimless crime'

Siwan Hayward, TfL's Director of Security, Policing, and Enforcement, said: “The overwhelming majority of our customers pay the correct fare, however there is a minority who do attempt to travel without a valid ticket which is a criminal offence.

“Fare evasion is unacceptable. That is why we are strengthening our capability to deter and detect fare evaders, including expanding our team of professional investigators to target the most prolific fare evaders across the network.

“This builds on the work of our team of more than 500 uniformed officers already deployed across the network to deal with fare evasion and other anti-social behaviour, keeping staff and customers safe.

“Fare evasion is not a victimless crime. It robs Londoners of vital investment in a safe, frequent and reliable transport network and we are committed to reducing the current rate of fare evasion to 1.5 per cent by 2030.”

LBC has approached Sadiq Khan for comment.