Speaking to Nick Ferrari during a phone-in on LBC, Sir Mark said there was a growing trend of describing London as being overrun with crime which was ‘politically motivated’.

“This trend of trying to rubbish London, we need to fight back about it,” he said.

He denied there are any “no-go areas” in the capital – and said it was “ridiculous” for anyone in the US to suggest that Britain is violent given the high levels of crime in many US cities.

“There’s no no-go areas, that’s completely false.

“How anybody in America can suggest the UK is violent is completely ridiculous.

“The homicide rate in London is lower than every single US state. It’s lower than all their big cities.

“The murder rate in New York last time I looked is three or four times higher than London per capita.

“The homicide rate in London is lower than it is in Toronto, it’s lower than Paris, it’s lower than Brussels, it’s lower than Berlin.

“This is a safe city. I’m not going to pretend it’s perfect.

“This trend of trying to rubbish London, some of which is driven by politics, we who are proud Londoners, need to fight back about it.”

He went on to describe Mr Trump’s comments about the capital as “complete nonsense,” but he stopped short of commenting on Donald Trump’s remarks bashing London Mayor Sadiq Khan – explaining he did not want to get “involved” in clashes between politicians.

Weeks ago Donald Trump made the claim that London is so dangerous that people are being “stabbed in the a**.”

“My mother loved London… That was a different London than you have today. Today you have people being stabbed in the a** or worse,” Mr Trump said in an interview.

He also claimed London has areas “where police don’t even want to go anywhere near”.

He continued: “Your mayor is a disaster. I don’t even know him. If you put him there I wouldn’t even know who he was. I can tell you he’s a disaster. He’s a nasty person and he’s letting crime go.

“You have areas in London – and you have this in Paris too – where police don’t even want to go anywhere near those areas.

“You have sharia law where they don’t even obey the laws of your country or France or other countries and you have much worse conditions than even that.”

Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesman weighed in on the row, saying the Prime Minister believes such remarks are “wrong”.

“The Mayor of London is doing an excellent job in London, delivering free school meals in primary schools, cleaning up London’s air with the world’s largest clean air zone and starting record numbers of council houses,” said the spokesman.

“The Prime Minister is hugely proud of the Mayor of London’s record and proud to call him a colleague and a friend.”

Mr Trump had also told Politico Sir Sadiq had been elected “because so many people have come in”.

Asked about that claim in particular, Sir Keir’s press secretary reiterated: “As I say, the comments are wrong.”

Sir Keir was urged to tell the American leader not to meddle in European politics during Prime Minister’s Questions.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the Prime Minister should tell Mr Trump that “any attempts to interfere with our democracy are totally unacceptable”, in relation to America’s new security strategy.

The 33-page document questions whether some European nations could remain “reliable allies” in the long-term and defines Washington’s policy on Europe as one of “cultivating resistance” to their “current trajectory”.

Sir Keir replied: “What I see is a strong Europe, united behind Ukraine and united behind our long-standing values of freedom and democracy, and I will always stand up for those values and those freedoms.”

On Tuesday, a Downing Street spokesman declined to directly rebut Mr Trump’s condemnation of Sir Sadiq, saying Sir Keir had strong relationships with both men.

The spokesman then denied failing to stand up for the London Mayor.

Sir Sadiq responded to Politico by claiming Mr Trump had become “obsessed” with him, and suggested Americans are “flocking” to live in London because its values are the “antithesis” of the US.