Laila Cunningham Announces Mayoral Bid for London Focusing on Crime and Public Safety in 2028 Election

Laila Cunningham stepped into the spotlight today as she formally announced her campaign to become Reform Party’s first mayor of London.

At 48, the former Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) lawyer is making law and order the cornerstone of her pitch, drawing on decades of personal and professional experience with crime prevention.

Her journey into politics is fueled by frustration with what she sees as spiraling violent crime across the capital.

“It’s a dereliction of duty that there’s not more policing, more access to police, and that’s what I want to see change,” she told reporters, signaling a no-nonsense approach that her supporters hope will resonate with Londoners ahead of the 2028 mayoral election.

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From CPS Prosecutor to Political Contender

Cunningham’s background as a CPS prosecutor gives her credibility on crime issues, but it also comes with a storied past.

She was once dubbed a “vigilante mum” after personally tracking down and photographing masked muggers who attacked some of her seven children.

Those experiences, she says, shaped her resolve to protect Londoners when the state seemed unable to do so.

Until mid-2025, Cunningham was a Conservative Party member and a sitting councillor for Lancaster Gate ward, elected in 2022.

She had been lined up as the Tory candidate for Rotherham in the 2024 general election before withdrawing.

She later joined Reform, becoming part of the group informally called “Farage’s Filies,” a cadre of female politicians focused on a tough stance against crime.

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A Politically Charged Transition

Her move to Reform was not without controversy.

While at the CPS, she had been bound by strict rules limiting political expression to maintain impartiality.

After making a series of public statements criticizing both major parties and voicing strong opinions on policing, debt, and environmental policy, Cunningham offered her resignation, which the CPS accepted.

“I was told I may have breached the Civil Service code of conduct,” she later acknowledged.

Her decision to step away from the CPS allowed her to speak openly about London’s challenges, including rising crime rates, political leadership failures, and policies she believes leave Londoners frustrated and unsafe.

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Challenging the Status Quo in London

Cunningham has been openly critical of Mayor Sadiq Khan, accusing him of failing to protect families like her own.

She recounted tracking down gangs wearing balaclavas who had targeted her children after the police allegedly did not respond effectively.

“I protected my family when the state couldn’t.

The press called me a vigilante mum, but I should never have been put in that position,” she said.

Her campaign rhetoric also includes a nostalgic vision of London’s past.

When asked about restoring the city to its “glory days,” Cunningham reflected on growing up in the 1980s, when she says she felt safe walking the streets and had strong connections with her community.

“My local bobby lived next door, now he can’t afford it.

My teacher lived next door, now she can’t afford it,” she remarked, highlighting what she sees as the social and economic changes that have accompanied rising crime.

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A Unique Profile for Reform Party

Cunningham brings a distinctive profile to Reform’s mayoral bid.

She is a practicing Muslim and the child of Egyptian migrants who fled Nasser’s regime in the 1960s.

Yet in many ways, she fits the archetype of a right-wing, tough-on-crime politician.

Her life story, spanning professional law enforcement, family struggles, and local political service, positions her as a candidate who can speak authentically about both the personal and public impacts of crime.

Nigel Farage, who is backing Cunningham, is banking on her ability to break Labour’s grip on City Hall after 12 years, pitching her as a credible contender who can appeal to both law-and-order voters and disenfranchised residents frustrated with the status quo.

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What She Wants to Change

At the heart of Cunningham’s platform is a focus on tangible action: more policing, accessible law enforcement, and safer streets for families.

Her campaign seeks to combine her first-hand experience as a mother dealing with crime with her professional expertise in prosecution.

If successful, Cunningham aims not only to challenge Labour and Conservative candidates but to reshape the conversation in London politics around public safety, civic engagement, and the day-to-day realities of raising a family in a modern metropolis.