It's my job to hold Sadiq Khan to account

I am deeply humbled to be re-elected as Havering and Redbridge's London Assembly Member. It's been an honour to represent both boroughs since 2016, and I will continue to tirelessly fight for you to get both boroughs a better deal from City Hall.

As your Assembly Member, it's my job to hold the Mayor to account by scrutinising his decisions, spending plans and proposals. That means holding Khan's feet to the fire on the issues you care about - and relentlessly pushing the Mayor to deliver for Havering and Redbridge.

Sadiq Khan squandered his first term, neglecting the needs of outer boroughs like us. That's why Londoners sent a larger, nine-member Conservative team to City Hall at the election - to keep Khan in check.

Londoners have given Khan a second chance to finally tackle rising crime. That must be Sadiq Khan's number one priority. The tragic murder at Harold Hill is a sad reminder that London's problem with violent crime has not gone away. Moreover, as the country reopens, there is a real risk that crime spirals out of control again.

On Sadiq Khan's watch, knife crime soared by nearly 80 per cent in Havering by 2019. It fell in 2020 due to lockdown, but that is no guarantee that it won't return to record levels seen previously on the Mayor's watch.

To stop violent crime from spiralling once again, the Mayor must learn from his previous mistakes. In the next three years, Khan must prioritise police officers instead of press officers and unequivocally back the police to use stop and search instead of flip-flopping on the issue.

I wish the Mayor every success in making London safe. He has the power and resources to do it - and I will hold him to account until he does.

Article by Keith Prince AM first published in the Romford Recorder & Ilford Recorder.