Susan Hall swerves question about Enoch Powell and ‘Londonistan’ social media likes

The Conservative candidate for Mayor of London, Susan Hall, has failed during a television interview to say whether or not she was right to use social media to encourage Donald Trump to “wipe the smile off this man’s face” in reference to Sadiq Khan and to endorse descriptions of Khan as a “traitor rat” and the “Mayor of Londonistan”.

Making her latest appearance on right-wing television channel GB News, Hall was asked by programme presenter Camilla Tominey: “Are they the right things to be re-tweeting?” However, Hall did not answer the question, replying instead: “Well, quite frankly, I knock on doors morning, noon and night, that’s what I do. I ask people their opinions. I have never, ever, had anybody on the doorstep say, ‘I don’t like your tweets’.”

Hall went on to say that Londoners are concerned about the expansion of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone, the cost of living and policing and, referring to her past output on Twitter, now known as X, said people “don’t worry about that. With greatest respect, what I put on Twitter doesn’t affect people’s lives”.

Tominey than moved on to a different issue, though earlier she’d asked Hall if she considers herself to be on the right of her party. Hall replied: “It depends what you’re talking about. Sometimes I am slightly to the right, other times apparently I’m not”.

Excerpts from Hall’s social media past have most recently been unearthed by Hope Not Hate, an organisation that campaigns against far-right extremism, and reported by The Times, Sky News, the BBC, the Evening Standard and the Guardian.

They include a “thank you Katie!” from Hall to the author of the “mayor of Londonistan” tweet, far-right media personality Katie Hopkins, and “likes” for tweets making the false claims that Khan encourages postal vote fraud by fellow Muslims and approves of female genital mutilation. Other Hall “likes” were for tweets insulting Sky News journalists Beth Rigby and Sam Coates.

Hope Not Hate has sent an open letter to Conservative Party chairman and London MP Greg Hands demanding the suspension of Hall and a “full investigation into her conduct and candidacy”. However, yesterday, after Hope Not Hate’s disclosures had been widely reported, Hands posted a photograph on X of Hall out campaigning with Tory activists and describing it as “great” that she was there.

Susan Hall’s exchanges with Claire Tominey’s can be watched here. X/Twitter: On London and Dave Hill. If you value On London and its writers, become a supporter or a paid subscriber to Dave Hill’s Substack for just £5 a month or £50 a year.