Sadiq Khan has been pictured with stars on the red carpet at the London Film Festival. It comes after an Express investigation accused the Mayor of London of covering up evidence of grooming gangs in the capital.
Khan posted pictures on X yesterday evening (Monday, October 20) following the festival which ran from Wednesday, October 8 until Sunday, October 19. One of the images shows him standing with British actor Riz Ahmed who plays a starring role in the recently released Hamlet. The mayor was also pictured during his speech at the recent event which he said “demonstrated the power of film to unite and inspire”.
Khan posted on X: “The London Film Festival once again demonstrated the power of film to unite and inspire. Proud to have welcomed such remarkable talent and diverse storytelling to our city. Thanks to all the filmmakers and industry professionals – and to the audiences!”
A recent investigation revealed that Khan read reports of young girls being raped in hotels by groups of men while publicly denying there were any grooming gangs in London. Evidence also showed the children were plied with drugs and had their lives threatened.
There have since been calls for him to resign as Mayor of London. Belinda de Lucy, Reform’s spokesperson for education and families, told the Daily Expresso that the Labour mayor “has to go” over the alleged cover up.
She said: “It’s like having a plague and no vaccination. It makes me sick that he has any position of power in London.”
According to grooming gang whistleblower Maggie Oliver, cases in London followed “the same pattern” she had seen with Greater Manchester Police’s cover-up of the Rochdale scandal. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp MP, accused Khan of being part of a “cover-up” and called for accountability.
He said: “It is shameful that the Mayor of London is claiming to have no indication that grooming gangs are operating in London despite personally responding to reports containing evidence of victims abused by grooming gangs in the city. It is clear Sadiq Khan is facilitating a cover up.”
Reform UK MP Lee Anderson added: “There is real, credible evidence that grooming gangs exist in London, and for the Mayor to have potentially turned a blind eye is utterly shameful.”
