Sadiq Khan has denied claims he plans to decriminalise Class B drugs in Lewisham, Bexley and Bromley, clarifying that a proposed scheme would apply only to young people found with cannabis.

The Telegraph reported yesterday that the three London boroughs would pilot a scheme under which officers would be told not to arrest young people caught with cannabis, ketamine or speed, and under-25s would instead be offered speeding course-style classes or counselling.

The Mayor has since said that a limited trial aimed at diverting young people away from the criminal justice system would only apply to 18 to 24-year-olds found in possession of a small amount of cannabis.

The pilot, which could be announced this month, is reportedly being led by Lewisham's Mayor, Damien Egan.

News Shopper: A female police officers holds a small bag of suspected cannabis found during a stop and search of a suspect in London Bridge (PA)A female police officers holds a small bag of suspected cannabis found during a stop and search of a suspect in London Bridge (PA)

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “This limited trial, which is still in development and has yet to be approved by City Hall, would involve three of London’s 32 boroughs and would only apply to 18 to 24-year-olds found in possession of a small amount of cannabis.  

"It would not apply to any other drug.     

“The idea of the scheme, which is already used by other police forces across the country, would be to divert young people who are found with a small amount of cannabis away from the criminal justice system and instead provide help and support.

"This has been shown to reduce reoffending.

“Reducing crime is the Mayor’s top priority and he will continue to explore and implement the most effective solutions to help to divert young people away from drug use and crime for good.” 

The pilot would be based on a successful Thames Valley model which won a national award last year.

It has not yet had approval from the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (Mopac).

The proposals were criticised by both Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Keir Starmer.

Responding to the reports about Mr Khan’s plans for tackling drugs, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We have absolutely no intention of decriminalising dangerous and harmful substances for recreational use.

“Decriminalisation would leave organised criminals in control, while risking an increase in drug use, which drives crime and violence which blights our streets.”

Asked about the report in the Telegraph, Sir Keir said: “On the drugs legislation, I’ve said a number of times and I will say again: I’m not in favour of us changing the law or decriminalisation. I’m very clear about that.

“I haven’t seen the detail of the proposals that you’ve reported on. As I understand it they are early measures, they are some sort of pilot.

“Obviously we’ll look at those, but I’m very clear that we’re not in favour of changing the drugs laws.”

The Mayor is prioritising tackling illegal drug use in his second term of office, having already comissioned a review by independent experts into the feasibility of decriminalising cannabis.

Have you got a story for us? You can contact us here.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.

Sign up to our newsletters to get updates sent straight to your inbox.