The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has unveiled a historic £1.159 billion investment in the Metropolitan Police for the 2025-26 financial year—marking the largest funding commitment ever
made to policing in the capital.
As part of his final draft budget, published last night, the Mayor has proposed an additional £83 million in funding, comprising £10 million from City Hall and £73 million from central government. This builds on the £237 million increase already announced, bringing the total boost to policing next year to an unprecedented £320 million.
This investment will play a crucial role in retaining hundreds of Metropolitan Police officer posts and preventing deep cuts to key specialist policing units. Initial forecasts from the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) had warned that, without additional funding, officer numbers could fall by nearly 1,900 to 30,553 by March 2026 due to years of underfunding.
With this additional support, the Metropolitan Police will be able to maintain frontline officers, employ essential police staff, and provide necessary equipment. Final decisions on how the funding will be allocated will be made by MOPAC and the Met, with detailed plans expected next month. The investment follows last month’s Provisional Policing Settlement, which secured funding for 420 officers.
Crime reduction and continued challenges
This record-breaking investment comes as key crime rates in London show improvement. Since Sadiq Khan took office in 2016, the number of homicides, knife-related injuries among young people, and burglaries have all declined. In particular, homicides among individuals under 25 have reached their lowest level since 2003, and teenage homicides in London are at their lowest since 2012.
Despite this progress, the Met continues to face financial pressures due to over a decade of real-term funding cuts under the previous government. While the additional investment is a significant step forward, the Mayor has acknowledged that continued financial support from the new government will be critical in ensuring long-term improvements in policing and public safety.
Mayor Sadiq Khan’s statement
Speaking on the proposed funding, Mayor Sadiq Khan said:
“No-one should under-estimate the significance of this. It is a record amount of investment.
“Bearing down on crime and keeping Londoners safe is my top priority as Mayor and I’ll always use all the levers at my disposal to fund the police, investing record sums from City Hall.
“I am pleased to propose an additional £320 million since last year for the Metropolitan Police, with £83m more since January, thanks to Government support.
“Despite this record-breaking additional funding, the Met still faces a difficult financial situation due to over a decade of cuts by the previous government. As Mayor, I will continue to work with the new government and the Commissioner ahead of the forthcoming spending review on the funding the Met needs to ensure we can continue building a safer London for everyone."
Continued support for free school meals
Alongside policing investment, the Mayor’s final draft budget also allocates £147.5 million to extend free school meals for all London state primary schoolchildren in 2025-26. This marks the third consecutive year of the initiative, which has provided over 43 million meals and saved families more than £1,000 per child. Mayor Khan has pledged to sustain the scheme for as long as he remains in office.
With these budgetary commitments, the Mayor continues to prioritize crime reduction and social support, working towards a safer and more equitable London. Photo by Arriva436, Wikimedia commons.