Sadiq Khan has been blasted by an independent MP, who shared a picture of his wife’s Porsche after the theft of its headlights as he branded London a “warzone”. Rupert Lowe, who was formerly a member of Reform UK before a well-publicised fall-out with leader Nigel Farage earlier this year, shared a picture of the vehicle, apparently a Porsche Cayenne Turbo, on social media. The car generally retails for about £170,000, depending on the model.
He commented: “My wife’s car this morning – headlights stolen in Sadiq Khan’s London warzone. I want our capital city back.” The post, shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday morning, quickly went viral, amassing over 75,000 likes and thousands of reposts within hours. It showed the sleek black SUV parked on a residential street, its distinctive matrix LED headlights conspicuously missing, leaving gaping holes in the front grille.
Such high-end components are prime targets for thieves, fetching thousands on the black market due to their advanced technology and Porsche’s premium pricing.
Mr Lowe, the MP for Great Yarmouth and a vocal critic of the capital’s governance, has long used his platform to rail against what he sees as London’s decline under Mr Khan’s eight-year tenure.
Just a day earlier, he posted: “Sadiq Khan has destroyed London. Good luck, New York,” in a pointed jab at the mayor’s international profile amid domestic woes and reference to newly elected Mayor of the Big Apple Zohran Mamdani.
In September, he said: “How do I know that Khan is an awful mayor? I’ve been to London,” underscoring his recurring theme of the city as a cautionary tale of mismanagement.
His critiques extend beyond rhetoric to pointed accusations on crime and public safety. In August, Mr Lowe described London as “not a magical city, it’s a crime-ridden dump,” dismissing optimistic portrayals by Labour figures.
Mr Lowe has repeatedly linked rising disorder to immigration and called for mass deportations to “restore Britain.”
He has also slammed Mr Khan’s handling of transport chaos, decrying Tube strikes as the capital “held ransom, costing the economy hundreds of millions.”
Mr Khan’s record on crime has drawn sharp scrutiny from opponents like Mr Lowe, who portray the mayor as soft on lawlessness. While City Hall data shows knife crime falling 19% in the three months to June 2025 compared to the previous year—the lowest quarterly figure since records began—and homicides at their lowest in over a decade, critics highlight longer-term trends.
Knife offences rose from 9,752 in Boris Johnson‘s final year as mayor (2015/16) to 12,077 in Mr Khan’s first (2016/17), and overall violent crime has increased by about 1% year-on-year as of late 2025.
Detractors accuse Mr Khan of “gaslighting” residents with selective stats, pointing to dismal solve rates—only one in 20 robberies cleared—fewer offenders jailed, and over 1,000 police officers cut from the Metropolitan Police since 2016.
In September, Mr Khan hit back at “misinformation” from politicians, insisting injuries from violent crimes dropped nearly 12% year-on-year.
Mr Lowe’s outburst appears to tap into a broader narrative among right-wing voices, who decry London as a “no-go hellscape” despite evidence of stabilisation.
Social media reactions were mixed – supporters echoed his fury, with one user saying: “London under Khan: where even Porsches aren’t safe”. Detractors mocked the irony of a luxury car theft in a “warzone,” noting: “He does realise they were stolen by or for someone else with a Porsche?”
The incident further underscores escalating vehicle crime in the capital, with luxury parts like Porsche headlights—valued at up to £5,000 a pair—fuelled by online demand. Police data shows car-related thefts up 15% in 2025, exacerbating fears among affluent residents.
Express.co.uk has contacted Mr Khan via the Mayor of London’s Office for comment.
