Sadiq Khan launches £7m campaign to battle ‘global scourge’ of disinformation
Sir Sadiq Khan has announced a £7m campaign to promote London to the world and tackle online “disinformation” which he says is damaging the capital’s reputation.
The Mayor of London has described online disinformation as a “global scourge”, saying the city has been subjected to a “relentless and unprecedented onslaught of lies and hate” on social media.
The campaign, which will be carried out by London & Partners, will launch in September and target audiences in Europe, the United States and Asia. The campaign aims to promote the capital by celebrating London’s “rich heritage, world-class experiences, culture, creativity and role as a hub for innovation and commerce”.
A report published by the Greater London Authority (GLA) earlier this year found there had been a nearly 200 per cent increase in social media posts portraying London as dangerous or in decline over the past two years.
Sir Sadiq said: “We face a relentless and unprecedented onslaught of lies and hate from those who seek to damage the reputation of our capital and our vital tourism sector. “Disinformation about London has become a truly global scourge. This is a money-making industry that spreads lies about our capital and feeds the fears of people around the world; Therefore, we must fight on a global scale.
“That’s why we’re creating this major new campaign to challenge these false narratives and show once again why there’s no better place in the world than London.”
A new GLA report has revealed social media users in Asia are being targeted with “disinformation” about London. The report found that in some months, more than 15,000 posts in Japanese appeared on X on X, claiming that the capital was lawless and under the influence of Islamic rule.
The report stated that one account used AI footage to claim that millions of people attended the Unite The Kingdom rally organized by far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
US president Donald Trump had previously accused Sir Sadiq of doing a “terrible job” and added that “crime is through the roof in London” in their long-running war of words.
The Metropolitan Police said in January that the murder rate in London had fallen to its lowest level in 11 years in 2025. But police have the highest rates of personal robbery and theft per thousand people in England and Wales; Among these, phone theft is also a “significant” problem.
Figures released under Freedom of Information legislation show that only a fraction of devices purchased in London have been returned to their owners. A total of 587,498 phones were stolen in London, excluding the City, between 2017 and 27 February 2024, of which 13,998 were recovered and 573,500 were not.
Council Conservative leader Susan Hall said Sir Sadiq “should spend more time trying to put things right instead of saying ‘la la la la la’, I’m not listening, everything’s fine'”.
Reform England’s candidate for Mayor of London, Laila Cunningham, said: “If the Mayor of London wants to encourage more tourism, he should tackle the crime he has allowed to get out of control, rather than suggesting that crime victims are liars.”
