London is “not safe” any more, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the billionaire owner of Manchester United, has claimed.
Sir Jim said Britain’s cities were not as safe as they used to be and revealed that he no longer wears a watch in the capital for fear of being mugged.
Sir Jim said a rise in rates of robbery and shoplifting was part of a wider failure by authorities to provide basic public services, including ensuring that there is enough prison space to house criminals.
The 71-year-old owner of chemical company Ineos and United is worth an estimated £29.6 billion, making him the third richest man in the UK.
He said he has “to be wary” of his safety in London and last year saw someone stabbed to death outside his office in Knightsbridge on CCTV over a Rolex watch.
“I can’t wear a watch in London, and I just need to be a bit wary, a bit careful,” he told The Sunday Times.
The fatal mugging occurred on Brompton Road, near Hyde Park, and was captured by Ineos security footage, and Sir Jim said: “He died in a pool of blood because somebody tried to take his Rolex and he resisted. About a year ago we had three guys in hoodies, with machetes, right outside the office, opposite Harrods.”
There were 116 murders in the capital in 2023-24, up from 112 on the year before, while there was also a surge in recorded knife crime offences. The 15,016 recorded last year was the second highest number on record and up by about a fifth on the 12,786 the year before.