Sir Sadiq Khan has been accused of dismissing grooming gangs sexually abusing children in London.
Retired Metropolitan Police detective Jon Wedger, who campaigns for victims, said Sir Sadiq made “a mockery out of semantics” after the Mayor was asked about the problem in the capital.
When questioned about grooming gangs earlier this year, the Mayor said the focus in the city was primarily on county lines drug dealing.
When pushed by the Conservative’s leader on the London Assembly, Susan Hall, he denied knowing what she meant by a grooming gang.
He said: “The situation in London in relation to young people being groomed is different to other parts of the country. What we have in London is young people being groomed - to use your word, not mine - to be used in county lines.”
“We do have issues in London with young girls being groomed for county lines,” the Mayor added.
Mr Wedger told the Times: “Sadiq Khan is making a mockery out of semantics, when the real issue should be vulnerable kids at risk, at mortal risk.
“Instead he is having this puerile argument on semantics.”
Mr Wedger, a former vice squad detective, said: “There are hotspots all over the place. They are literally everywhere,....We came across a girl who’d been on the street since she was 14. She’s a kid … it was a busy street, drivers come along and then go round the corner to have sex with the kids.”
He added that the problem predates Sir Sadiq’s time leading City Hall.
He claims that in 2006 he was told to stop investigating cases involving 50 children who had been groomed and sexually abused in the city, despite the force having evidence about the perpetrators.
A spokesperson for the Mayor said: "Any individuals or gangs exploiting children for sex are utterly abhorrent.
“Sadiq is quite clear that they must face the full force of the law. These children have not only suffered terrible abuse at the hands of the perpetrators but have been woefully let down by the authorities meant to protect them from harm.”
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has also denied there was a “significant problem” with gangs grooming children for sex in the capital while answering questions from London Assembly members in February.
But on Friday he confirmed Scotland Yard is set to reexamine 9,000 cases of child exploitation as part of a major review into grooming gangs in London.
Campaigner Maggie Oliver, a Manchester police officer who turned whistleblower about the Rochdale abuse scandal, told the Times London is the “last bastion” of the rape gangs cover-up.
While Shadow home secretary Chris Philp accused the mayor of deliberately turning a blind eye to the growing scandal.
He said: “This revelation of the Met police having 9,000 grooming gang cases to reassess makes it clear Labour and Sadiq Khan are facilitating a cover up.”
At a press conference on Monday Nigel Farage was asked whether Sir Sadiq Khan had “failed grooming gang victims” in London.
The Reform UK leader responded: “Yes, he has failed. He has been denying that grooming gangs operate in London, and the Met have done the same. I can tell you that someone here has spoken to London social services, who confirmed that grooming gangs do exist.
“It’s harder to identify specific gangs in central London than in places like Rotherham, due to the city’s size and diverse communities. London may be the last major grooming gang scandal to come to light, and it seems we’re very close to uncovering it.”
The development comes after a Standard investigation uncovered cases of vulnerable young girls from across the capital who reported allegations of rape from multiple men but saw inadequate police action.
In some incidences, children as young as 11 who reported being raped saw trials against their attackers collapse and were left to become victims of further abuse.
Suspected grooming gang and child exploitation cases from the last 15 years will be reviewed as part of the investigation, Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said in letter to Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan on Friday evening.
“The Met is undertaking an assessment of all such offences over the past 15 years, alongside all other forces,” Sir Mark said.
“The current criteria will require us to re-assess approximately 9,000 investigations over the period, approximately 600 per year, to identify whether there are any potential missed or new investigative lines of enquiry or extant risks, including any safeguarding requirements or opportunities to bring offenders to justice.
“Recent reports in the Evening Standard and other media of historic group-based offending will be reviewed as part of this work. The initial assessments will be completed by April 2026.”
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: "Sadiq has led efforts to strengthen the protection of children from exploitation and harm in all its forms in London, including grooming gangs.
“In 2023, the Mayor personally requested that HMICFRS look into child protection at the Met, including the effectiveness of the Met police service response to child sexual exploitation. Action has been taken on all recommendations.
"The Mayor has invested more than £233m to tackle violence against women and girls in all its forms, an unprecedented amount.
“The Met have also adopted a new ‘Child First’ approach to safeguarding –including an enhanced approach to dealing with vulnerable missing children - to ensure Child Sexual Exploitation is treated with the seriousness it deserves.
“The Mayor remains vigilant to emerging and changing threats around child exploitation and will continue to support and hold the Met to account to ensure it does everything possible to tackle child sexual exploitation in London.”
