'My kids are petrified going to Shepherd's Bush,' says Reform London mayor candidate Laila Cunningham after fatal stabbing

Reform UK’s London mayoral contender Laila Cunningham has told how her children are “petrified” of going to Shepherd’s Bush after a fatal stabbing there.

The mother-of-seven launched fresh criticism of Sir Sadiq Khan ’s record on crime after recent shootings and stabbings in the capital including the murder of a bus driver in Clapham.

Bus driver Auguste-Marie Bile-aka Amoa died after being shot in Clapham PA Media “My heart goes out to the family of the person killed in Shepherd’s Bush ...and to those injured. In a matter of seconds, families’ lives are changed forever,” she posted on X.

“My own kids swim in Shepherd’s Bush. They’re now petrified of going there. And as their mum so am I.

“We were there last weekend. It increasingly feels like nowhere is safe.

“Week after week it’s another stabbing, another shooting , another family getting the phone call every parent dreads.”

Ms Cunningham highlighted the recent fatal shootings in Newham and in Clapham.

“Sadiq Khan can keep telling us London is safe, but that means very little to families living with this fear,” she added.

But Sir Sadiq has rejected claims of a “lawless London” with high numbers of shootings and stabbings.

Earlier this week, he hit out at Donald Trump and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK who have sought to argue that the capital is plagued by crime.

He posted on X: “The loudest voices online aren't always the most accurate.

“New data shows our homicide rate is lower than every US state, while murder rates are at record lows.

“The evidence is clear: our approach to tackling crime and its causes works. It’s driving down violence right across the capital.”

Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan PA Archive Scotland Yard said a man, aged 48, had been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder after a woman was fatally stabbed in Shepherd’s Bush, west London.