Sadiq Khan has written to Sir Mark Rowley saying that the station should remain open.

An Uxbridge police station that had been under threat is now set to remain open after Sadiq Khan intervened in a bid to continue “rebuild[ing] neighbourhood policing”.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan wrote to Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley outlining that the case for retaining more police station sites across the capital “is strong”.

Local campaigners had opposed the potential closure of the station.

In his letter, Mr Khan said: “Huge Government cuts over the last decade have forced the Met to make extremely difficult decisions about where they allocate resources.

“I’m proud that thanks to our extra investment from City Hall we’re once again restoring neighbourhood policing to our local communities.

“And I’ve also been listening to local residents and campaigners in places like Uxbridge who have been telling me how having a local police station in their area makes them feel much safer.

“As we continue to rebuild neighbourhood policing and restore confidence after the Casey Review, I’ve written to the Met Commissioner saying that the case for now retaining more police station sites across the capital is strong, and would be an important part of our work ensuring the force delivers everything that Londoners need and expect.”

It comes weeks before a by-election (polling day July 20) following Boris Johnson quitting the commons.

Although Labour candidate Danny Beales has said he was “delighted” with the decision, Susan Hall, running to become the Tory mayoral candidate in London, accused Mr Khan of playing “political games” with the Met.

“The Met Police is not a toy that Sadiq Khan can use for his political games,” she said.

“Residents in Uxbridge are seriously concerned about his appalling decision to close the station, and he has now u-turned only because his disastrous Ulez expansion is threatening Labour’s prospects of winning the by-election.”

Figures released by the Met via a Freedom of Information request show that 126 front counters have been closed between 2010 and 2022 (includes some that had been closed for refurbishment).

In 2013, 62 front counters were closed and in 2017 37 were closed. Meanwhile 2021 saw zero closures while 2022 saw only the temporary closure of Tottenham Police Station during refurbishment.