London mayor: Met Police needs more government money

Reform of the Met Police will slow unless the government "steps in" with more money, London Mayor Sadiq Khan says.

He is set to make the case directly to the home secretary at a meeting later.

Tory mayoral candidate Susan Hall said Mr Khan found extra money for striking Tube workers so he should "go back down the back of the sofa" to find more.

The Home Office says the Met receives the most funding per head compared with the rest of England and Wales.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has warned that without an extra £140m it will take longer to address the racism, misogyny and homophobia identified by the Casey Review.

The mayor says the share City Hall contributes to London's policing through council tax and business rates has grown from 18% to 25% in the eight years he has been mayor.

The remaining three-quarters of the Met's £4.2bn budget comes from a Home Office grant.

Papers published ahead of Mr Khan's appearance before the London Assembly later on Thursday show City Hall has proposed funding an extra £88m this year, and there is almost £120m extra coming from government.

However, the Met is still facing a "black hole" of £39m it says it needs to plug over the next few weeks with cuts and savings.

On top of that is the £140m Sir Mark says is necessary to see through the reform programme and put more officers on the front line.

Last year Baroness Casey concluded the capital "no longer has a functioning neighbourhood policing service" trusted by the public. The commissioner said a "new beginning" was needed.

"The pace at which the commissioner is being asked to go, he will not be able to go at that pace without support from the government," said Mr Khan.

"Let's see what the home secretary says. I hope he will be giving support to the Met Police Service, which they deserve."

Mr Khan told BBC London he would be asking for more money to reflect the Met's unique national and international responsibilities, such as policing protests and protecting diplomats.

It has cost an extra £41m to handle a series of Just Stop Oil actions and protests related to the Middle East conflict, he said.

His Conservative opponent Ms Hall described his requests as "amazing", particularly given the recent £30m found to avert a strike on the Underground.

"He says he's had no money for the last few years but he's obviously been squirrelling it away so that he can spend it in an election year.

"Let's see if he can go back down the back of the sofa where he found all that money for his union mates and put more into the police.

"They are the ones that need funding properly," she said.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "Decisions about how funding and resources are utilised in London is a matter for the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and the democratically elected mayor of London.

"The Metropolitan Police receives the most funding per head of population compared with the rest of England and Wales, receiving up to £3.5bn in 2024-25, an increase of up to £119m on the previous year.

"This includes £185m in recognition of the increased demands the force faces from policing the capital city."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]