Sadiq Khan has been accused of 'smearing' Londoners after branding protestors outside migrant hotels as "extremists".

It comes after an announcement of new funding to tackle 'hate crimes' was revealed by the Mayor, appearing to link the need for the cash to an increase in protests outside asylum hotels.

Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Philp MP, led the backlash after the Mayor used a City Hall Press release to link local demonstrations with "hate crime, extremism and intolerance".

The use of hotels to house illegal immigrants has attracted widespread protests across the country, with high-profile demonstrations taking place in London outside the Britannia Hotel.

Philp said: "The Mayor is quicker to smear residents worried about the impact of asylum hotels than he is to back the people he is meant to represent and shut down these hotels. Labour have managed just three closures in a year, at their rate, it will take 70 years to close them all.

Latest statistics back up the charge, with figures released in June confirming there were 32,059 asylum seekers housed in hotels, up from 29,585 a year earlier.

Labour has closed just three hotels since then, compared with the Conservatives who slashed the number from 398 to 213 in nine months.

Meanwhile more than 51,000 illegal immigrants have made the journey across the Channel since the last general election, with over 29,000 this year alone, making 2025 the worst year on record.

Community tensions have risen over the past few months, with anger bubbling over in areas hosting asylum hotels.

The "Pink Ladies", a movement in the capital of mothers and local women, have joined protests outside the Britannia Hotel, where they say they object to the housing of unvetted male migrants in their area.

They have insisted they are "not far-right, just on the right side of history" at the protests.

Whilst critics have demanded action, Khan announced funding for projects to "fight extremism".

But one City Hall source suggested it was "silly" for the Mayor to announce this funding "whilst the police face a huge funding shortfall."

Earlier this year, the Met announced it would shut half its front counters, and could be forced to cut police numbers, as it faces a £260 million gap in its budget.

Khan announced £875,000 would be spent on more than 20 'grassroots schemes', part of what City Hall says is a record £16 million investment that will reach 50,000 Londoners.

The Mayor said: "Hate crime, extremism and intolerance has no place in London. That's why I'm continuing to fund grassroot community groups which will benefit Londoners - giving them the skills they need to fight extremism and stand up to hate.

"We are living in increasingly divisive and uncertain times and I know the worry and concern that this is having in our communities. That's why I'm committed to working in close partnership with communities and the police to ensure everyone in the capital feels, and is, safe and welcome. I will always champion London's diversity as our greatest strength and work to shape a city where people understand and respect one another, building a better and safer London for everyone."

But critics have slammed the timing of the announcement, with Chris Philp saying Khan had "been missing in action for years" after an increase in antisemitic incidents rocked the city.

He said that Jewish Londoners had "faced hate on the streets every single weekend" since the October 7th terror attack, and that "hate crimes surged to record levels".

There have been 1,521 antisemitic incidents recorded by the Community Security Trust in the first half of 2025.

City Hall said that there were more than 21,200 hate crime incidents recorded in London in the past 12 months.

Whilst this was a reduction on the previous year, the City Hall's continuation of the funding is intended to support their plan to encourage Londoners to stand up to hate and intolerance.

The Government have said they intend to see asylum hotels closed by the end of this parliament.