Mayor of London Boris Johnson says Donald Trump’s comments about the British capital are “nonsense,” and has invited the U.S. Republican presidential hopeful to come and see for himself. (AP file photo/Alastair Grant)
LONDON (AP) — Donald Trump’s comments about London are “nonsense,” the city’s mayor said Tuesday, inviting the U.S. Republican presidential hopeful to come and see for himself.
Trump, who on Monday called for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States,” told MSNBC that some parts of London “are so radicalized that the police are afraid for their own lives.
But London Mayor Boris Johnson, a Conservative, said Trump’s “ill-informed comments are complete and utter nonsense.”
Joining a long list of British politicians criticizing Trump, Johnson said he would “welcome the opportunity to show Mr. Trump firsthand some of the excellent work our police officers do every day in local neighborhoods throughout our city.”
“Crime has been falling steadily both in London and in New York — and the only reason I wouldn’t go to some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump,” Johnson said.
London’s Metropolitan Police force said Trump “could not be more wrong” and was “welcome to receive a briefing from the Met Police on the reality of policing London.”
Prime Minister David Cameron also criticized Trump’s statements about Muslims — breaking the custom of British leaders not commenting on U.S. presidential contenders.
“The prime minister completely disagrees with the comments made by Donald Trump, which are divisive, unhelpful and quite simply wrong,” said Cameron’s spokeswoman, Helen Bower.
Lawmaker Zac Goldsmith, the Conservative candidate hoping to replace Johnson as mayor in next year’s election, called Trump “one of the most malignant figures in modern politics” and branded his proposal to ban Muslims “completely insane.”
Mayor of London Boris Johnson says Donald Trump’s comments about the British capital are “nonsense,” and has invited the U.S. Republican presidential hopeful to come and see for himself. (AP file photo/Alastair Grant) 
