SADIQ Khan has been blasted for spending £500,000 of public money on storks instead of tackling real issues.
The London Mayor was accused of being “out of touch” and sitting in an “ivory tower”.
He has spent £500,000 of public money in a rewilding project in Dagenham, East London, one of the capital’s poorest boroughs.
As part of the scheme, a flock of white storks have been introduced to the area.
The money is part of a £3.84million pot of cash from Sir Sadiq’s Green Roots Fund which is aimed at boosting access to nature around London.
Sir Sadiq has said the project is a win for ordinary Londoners.
He said: “Access to nature is an issue of social justice, and it can’t just be those who live in the countryside who get to share their home with our amazing wild creatures.
“We are proud to be supporting some fantastic projects through my Green Roots Fund, including the historic reintroduction of white storks and beavers to East London.”
The Sun Online has approached Sir Sadiq for futher comment.
However, the leader of the Conservative Party in London, Susan Hall, blasted the move, telling The Sun: “It is ridiculous and this is the trouble, it’s because it’s not their money.
“If you’re a mother and you’re short of money, and, I don’t know, something really important needed to be done, as in, in London, this is not it.
“The police service, spending money on nice-to-have things. Yes I’d be spending it on what I needed to.
“And in London’s case, put some more money into policing. I mean, if you look today at the different demonstrations going on, this is costing London an absolute fortune, with constant demonstrations, and a large one.
“We need more money going into the police. Now, having lovely storks and beavers and God knows what else is great, but actually, we can’t afford it.”
Ms Hall added: “And in my view, this is where Labour get it wrong. They do not understand. They call it austerity, they call it everything else.
“But for Londoners it’s really living within your means, and spending money where it needs to go. And because it’s not his money, he can’t just dish it out, it’s hard earned taxpayer money.”
“It’s all PR stuff, you know, if it makes him look good.
“I get so cross with it you know, I don’t know about you, I don’t feel safe walking.
“I don’t care what the Commissioner said yesterday, I don’t feel safe. I mean, granted, I have had death threats, but of course, I’m a politician, so I get that. But lots of people don’t feel safe. We need money put into policing.
“Not rare birds that could easily be caught by the People. Anyway people don’t seem to have the same respect for Wildlife as they would have done in the past.
“Every time I go to the supermarket, I’m terrified. But my point being there are things that need to be done. I mean, fares are also going up again, travel is expensive, roads are run down.
“You know, it just adds to the weekly cost of just surviving in this city. And he comes on and boasts that he’s put half a million pounds into storks, and I mean…
“It’s almost like a slap in the face to young people that can’t afford to live here, can’t afford, you know, the fares, rent, food can’t afford so many things.
“There’s mothers trying to find the money to feed their kids with, and they don’t feel safe.”
She continued: “And he’s buying storks, I mean, honestly – it’s just not a priority at this moment in time.
“If you’d heard some of the survivors of these rape gangs, if the public had heard their stories, you would cry, because it is so bad. That’s a real problem to tackle.
“He’s an utter disgrace. He really is. He lives in his ivory tower. He’s ferried around by four armed officers.
“And I think he’s losing all touch of reality, quite frankly. The sort of reality you and I live, that’s for sure. He’s so out of touch with normal people.”
The move comes after the mayor’s announcement that fares on the London Underground, the Overground and the Elizabeth Line would all rise by 5.8 per cent in the new year.
The increase is 1% above the rate of inflation and will come into force in March.
Concerns about crime remains a big concern, with the latest figures for September 2025 showing the overall crime rate in London is 81 crimes per 1,000, and the most common crimes reported are violence and sexual offences, with reports coming from roughly every 23 out of 1,000 daytime population, according to Crime Rate.
Average rental prices in London have fallen in the past 12 months but still remain high.
Average rental prices in London have fallen in the past 12 months but still remain high.
The average private rent in the UK was £1,360 per month in October 2025 while the average rent was highest in London at £2,265, according to the Office of National Statistics.
