Sadiq Khan was hoping to project a message of ‘unity to the world’ with this year’s New Year’s Eve fireworks in London, which of course included the customary genuflections to the NHS, Windrush and inclusivity.

But for all the highfalutin spiel about London’s place in the world, the mayor seemed rather less comfortable talking about the situation in the capital itself, when he was interviewed by Sky News shortly before the celebrations began.