Sadiq Khan has taken aim at Reform UK as the London Mayor claims he does not feel safe as a Muslim in Britain.
Khan made the comments after participating in an anti-racism workshop organised by Chelsea Football Club at Stamford Bridge.
The London Mayor said: “Clearly I’m not safe, which is why I’ve got police protection.”
Taking a swipe at Nigel Farage’s populist party, Khan added: “I think for the last few years we’ve seen politicians, including from the last government, use language that’s not guarded.
“Talking about an invasion, talking about Islam running the country, talking about Islam running London. This sort of language leads to people believing some of this stuff.
“I think good politicians, positive politicians address people’s fears, poor ones play on people’s fears.
“And these ones play on people’s fears with tropes and conspiracy theories, and they should reflect on the consequences of that.”
Khan was directly addressing comments made by Reform UK’s Ashfield MP Lee Anderson.
Anderson, who defected to Reform UK from the Tories earlier this year, accused the Mayor of being controlled by Islamists in February.
Sir Keir Starmer has been keen to stress Britain’s Muslim community is being protected after anti-immigration protests turned into riots.
A total of 483 people have been arrested in connection with the unrest so far and a further 151 people were charged.
Violent disorder spread across England and Northern Ireland after misinformation about the Southport stabbing perpetrator Axel Rudakubana circulated online.
More than 1,300 Metropolitan Police officers were deployed across the capital on Wednesday night in addition to the thousands of police already on duty amid fears of further chaos.
Despite planned action across 39 identified location, unrest failed to materialise as counter-protesters vastly outnumbered demonstrators.
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Starmer puts police on ‘high alert’ after Wednesday’s counter-demos
Sir Keir Starmer has told police to remain on “high alert” after holding his third emergency Cobra meeting last night.
The Prime Minister’s comments came after potential large scale disorder on Wednesday failed to materialise.
Starmer thanked the police and wider criminal justice system as he convened ministers and police chiefs for a third time since unrest broke out last week.
He also said there was no doubt that levels of policing in the right places and swift justice over the past week have acted as a deterrent to disorder, including with sentencing.