Sadiq Khan has faced attacks from a Conservative politician over his policing budget, following a spate of violent deaths in the capital.

London assembly member Andrew Boff said the Mayor had chosen to spend on City Hall staff, campaigns and culture, rather than putting more police on the streets.

Speaking on Sunday Politics London, he highlighted the £11m spent on increasing staff at City Hall, £3m on PR campaigns, and £500,000 spent on a beach party in Newham since the Mayor took office.

He was speaking after a series of violent attacks in the capital left five dead in six days.

The Conservative group at City Hall believes the Mayor could have saved more than £82 million in this year's budget, funding almost 1,400 more police officers in London.

Mr Khan announced a £234 million increase in police funding to help tackle violence in February.

But speaking to the LDR service, Mr Boff said the Mayor was making a “political choice” not to fund more police officers.

He said: “The annoyance is when there is one of these tragic events happens, the Mayor has a knee-jerk reaction to blame the Government.

“It’s getting to the point where if it wasn’t such a serious thing it would be a joke, because that’s his go-to.”

But the Mayor’s Office dismissed the Conservative group’s claims, emphasising the importance of culture spending as part of a long-term strategy to provide young people with alternatives to crime.

The Mayor's team also refuted claims that spending on marketing and staff has been unjustified.

Mr Khan's spend on marketing staff has increased by 10 percent over the course of his term, compared to a 33 percent rise under Boris Johnson between 2013 and 2016.

Staffing costs at City Hall also increased most years under the Conservative mayoralty, and higher costs under the current Mayor in part reflect newly devolved powers, requiring extra staff to implement them.

A spokesperson for Mr Khan said: “This so-called plan from the Conservatives would in reality mean massive cuts to schemes that are stopping young people turning to violent crime in the first place, tackling toxic air pollution and helping get homeless people off the streets.

“It is a gimmick solely designed to distract attention from the huge Government cuts to the police and youth services since 2010.”