Sadiq Khan has claimed Donald Trump is jealous of London which he said is “incredibly successful”. The Mayor of London reignited the war of words between himself and the US President, arguing the capital is safer than any US city.

Sir Sadiq also described MPs who criticise London as unpatriotic. His comments mark the latest clash between the Labour mayor and Republican president, who has previously claimed London is being driven towards “sharia law”.

Sir Sadiq told the Financial Times that London has become a proxy in a bitter culture war, which he said had led to an increase in racism in the city.

He told the publication: “I think some of this may be a President who’s jealous he hasn’t got any global cities in the US that can compete with London. New York is a great city, it’s probably the second greatest city in the world.

“But I’d be happy to compare Trump’s favourite city’s subway with our Elizabeth Line… There are far fewer homicides in London than in any state in the US, far fewer than in New York, LA or Chicago.”

His comments come after the pair clashed earlier this month. Mr Trump had branded Sir Sadiq a “disgusting mayor” doing a “terrible job”.

London’s mayor, who has been in office since 2016, said at the time he had no idea why Mr Trump was “so obsessed” with him.

He added: “I’m not sure what he’s got against a liberal, progressive, diverse, successful city like London.”

Mr Trump described Sir Sadiq as a “horrible mayor” in an interview with Politico at the White House. The US leader said: “He’s an incompetent mayor, but he’s a horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor.

“I think he’s done a terrible job. London’s a different place. I love London…And I hate to see it happen.”

The war of words between the two leaders erupted in 2015 when Sir Sadiq criticised the then US presidential candidate for suggesting Muslims should be banned from travelling to the United States.

In his address to the United Nations General Assembly in September, Mr Trump said: “I look at London – where you have a terrible mayor, terrible, terrible mayor – and it’s been changed. It’s been so changed.”

He wrongly claimed: “Now they want to go to sharia law. But you are in a different country, you can’t do that.”

After that attack, Sir Sadiq accused Mr Trump of being “racist, sexist, misogynistic and Islamophobic”.