The old Latin invocation to not speak ill of the dead is one of the oldest and most famous aphorisms in Western culture. But in London, in 2024, it has become increasingly acceptable among certain circles to mockingly dismiss and ignore the dead. Spiralling violent crime has become an unlikely source of amusement for not only London’s newly re-elected mayor, Labour’s Sadiq Khan, but also for many of his elite endorsers.

One of the grim highlights in an otherwise lacklustre mayoral campaign was Khan mocking Tory candidate Susan Hall for addressing Londoners’ growing fears about knife crime – particularly those involving large-bladed weapons like machetes. In a radio debate, Khan famously dismissed these concerns, suggesting that Hall should stop watching the iconic Noughties US crime drama, The Wire.

Just a week later, 14-year-old schoolboy Daniel Anjorin was murdered with a large-bladed weapon – precisely the kind of crime Khan pretended was confined to the world of American crime fiction.

Two days after the mayoral election, and just hours before London’s knife-crime epidemic claimed its 25th life this year (Anjorin was the 24th), Financial Times chief features writer Henry Mance joined in the chuckling.