Graham rages at crime in Khan's London as Trump weighs in

London has found itself at the center of a cross-Atlantic debate over crime and governance after a prominent talk-radio host described a break-in in central London and a public clash between U.S. President Donald Trump and London's mayor, Sadiq Khan.

A 65-year-old broadcast journalist, Mike Graham, said his Maserati’s rear windscreen was smashed in a central London car park that operates under 24/7 security patrols. Graham recounted the incident on his Morning Glory program on Talkradio, noting he discovered the damage yesterday evening and spoke about it on the show this morning. He said the incident underscored a broader sense that crime has spiraled in the capital under Khan’s leadership.

Graham described the specifics of what happened: a back window smashed in the car park, which he said is run by an operator with 24/7 security. He said he had been in the car park on the seventh floor and did not realize the damage until he returned to his vehicle. He told listeners that the thieves targeted a box containing 11 bottles of wine but did not take any of the wine. Instead, he said, they seemed to be after a really old ski jacket, noting it was one he kept in the back of the car for dog walks, dating from around 1988.

Graham said he later learned from Autoglass staff that this type of break-in was becoming more common in London, with people in London and Manchester experiencing similar incidents. He added that staff had told him police were told about a man who moves between nearby NCP car parks, breaking into cars when he sees items in the back. He said the reaction from police had been tepid, and that the car-park operators had warned him about the ongoing risk. He described having to arrange repairs and to relocate the vehicle to a safer location, saying the incident would require a substantial or even ridiculous amount of time to fix.

The incident sits against a backdrop of wider concerns about London’s crime levels. Graham’s remarks came as he criticized Khan, saying, “London is now a bereft city.” He argued that Khan speaks as if London is the most remarkable city in the world, but that perception does not align with the reality on the streets. He told listeners that crime data and personal experience support his view and rejected the notion that crime in the capital is overstated by critics.

The comments around London’s safety intersect with a broader political exchange that has spilled into international forums. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump spoke in New York about Europe’s troubles and singled out London in pointed terms. He described London as having a “terrible, terrible mayor” and asserted that the city’s leaders were pursuing policies he said would push toward Sharia law. The remarks, delivered during Trump’s address in New York, touched off a renewed clash with Khan and drew attention to perceived divergences over immigration, security, and urban governance.

A spokesperson for Sir Sadiq Khan dismissed Trump’s remarks, telling the Daily Mail that the mayor’s office would “not dignify his appalling and bigoted comments with a response.” The spokesperson added that London is “the greatest city in the world, safer than major US cities,” and highlighted a contrast in homicide rates used to rebuke Trump’s claims. Statistics from the mayor’s office showed the homicide rate in the United States was 68 per 1 million population, compared with London’s 9.8 per 1 million.

The Trump-Khan dispute has a longer arc, with Trump previously labeling Khan one of the world’s worst mayors and suggesting Khan sought involvement in Trump’s UK state visit before backing away from that stance. The exchange underscores a broader international narrative about how Western cities confront crime, governance, and diverse communities.

Beyond the mayoral back-and-forth, London faces a sharpened focus on violent crime that has persisted for years. A recent period of scrutiny highlighted knife offenses as a persistent concern: a policy-research report noted that knife offenses in London had risen by about 86 percent over a decade. The West End, a major tourism and nightlife district, accounted for a disproportionate share of knife crime relative to its size. The report, “Your Money or Your Life: London’s Knife Crime, Robbery and Street Theft Epidemic,” by ex-Scotland Yard detective chief inspector David Spencer, urged a clearer, crime-fighting-first approach across the capital’s policing and policy framework.

In this climate, political leaders across the Atlantic are watching how London responds to both the everyday realities of crime on the ground and the political narratives that frame those realities. For Graham, the episode with his car and the broader discourse around Khan’s leadership intersect at a moment when public safety and urban governance are under heightened scrutiny, both in London and beyond.