Andreas Michli, an independent candidate running for London mayor, has said he will end knife crime and “get a grip on the deaths” in the capital.
Mr Mitchli is a health and fitness entrepreneur and gym owner, who describes himself as “just a regular guy – a born and bred London family man”.
Speaking to The Independent, he said: I’ve had enough of the way our city is being run, and that is why I am running for mayor.
“I could count on one hand the amount of positive good things Sadiq Khan has done, it would most likely be one or two fingers, so I will be doing absolutely everything different to what he’s done.
“The main focus of my campaign is around police and crime, in particular, knife crime. That’s an area in which none of the other candidates are addressing there’s 13 candidates in total, as you’re aware, and out of all 13 candidates, I’m the only candidate who’s come forward with a plan to end knife crime in London.”
His plan to end knife crime, named Operation Brennan, is a “complete multifaceted approach from all angles to deal with the issue.”
He said: “The sole priority of the plan to preserve life and get a grip on the deaths.”
“We must reintegrate the police back into the communities as we’ve lost engagement with the police.
“There’s ever widening gap, and nobody trusts them anymore. There is a lack of respect for the police and we’re never going to advance in our society with this distrust. We need to address the deeper rooted wider cultural issues surrounding knife crime.”
Mr Michli would also reduce City Hall’s share of council tax, scrap Ulez and the Congestion Charge.
“Charging people to use our public highways is a fundamental infringement on our right to travel,” he said. “We can’t keep penalising ordinary working-class Londoners for the failings of City Hall.”
In relation to Ulez, he claimed “there is very little correlation with the air quality in London and motor usage.”
A report published at the end of last year commissioned by Logika Group Air Quality Consultants found more toxic air pollution has been averted by Ulez than is produced by the capital’s airports or its river and rail transport combined.
“I genuinely care about ordinary, working class Londoners because I am one of them,” the independent candidate added. “Make London strong. That’s what I want to do.”
His main manifesto pledges include:
- Make London Strong
- Deploy Operation BRENNAN to end knife crime
- Enact Radical reforms to fix our broken police force
- Empower Londoners to take control of their health
- Abolish ULEZ and get a handle on TfL’s finances
- Build strong, build plenty, build beautiful
- Reduce City Hall’s share of council tax
- Combat air pollution without penalising the public
You can read Andreas Michli’s full manifesto here.
When is the London mayoral election?
Voters can cast their ballot in person on 2 May, by post or by proxy. Find your nearest polling station here.
Everyone will need to show photo ID at polling stations before they vote.
The results will be announced at City Hall on Saturday 4 May.
Read the full list of candidates here.
