A Muslim woman running to be London's next mayor has claimed the UK has allowed Islamists to thrive due to political correctness, and has called for a halt to legal migration. Laila Cunningham said such a staunch stance on foreign nationals was “absolutely necessary” to restore public services, wages and social cohesion.Ms Cunningham, born to Egyptian parents who arrived in the UK in the 1960s, is the chosen candidate for Reform UK, the populist party that many label far-right, in the 2028 race. The mother of seven, including her second husband's two children, defected to Reform in June last year after first being elected as a Conservative councillor in Westminster in 2022. Her platform is starkly at odds with the left-leaning Mayor Sadiq Khan, who is on his third term in office. He has not yet said if he will run in 2028. Ms Cunningham, a former crown prosecution lawyer who also set up her own technology start-up for female professionals, has caused controversy with her comments about fellow Muslims. She has said that women wearing the burqa should be stopped and searched, as it “has to be assumed … you're hiding it for a criminal reason”.But speaking in a wide-ranging interview, Ms Cunningham, 48, defended her stance and told On the Record that mass migration since the 1990s has been used as a substitute for British labour and has suppressed wages, skills and technology.Play00:43London mayor candidate: 'Islamist threat is very real'In 1991, net migration to the UK was 44,000 according to the Office for National Statistics, rising to 163,000 by the end of the decade. It remained broadly similar for the next 15 years or so before escalating after Brexit. It reached a peak of 944,000 in 2023 before falling back to 171,000 last year.“It’s not demonising anyone. It’s about prioritising British people first,” she told the show, which airs on Sky News Arabia and The National. 'Hotbed' for radicalisation“People say that migration is necessary for GDP, but people don’t experience migration in that way, on the ground. They experience it not getting housing, GP appointments, social cohesion, their towns are changing.”She said the UK’s approach to integration has broken down as numbers rose.“When immigration is in small numbers, you have to assimilate and integrate. But what we’ve seen is that when it comes in large numbers, they overtake certain parts, they tend to dominate.”Ms Cunningham's Reform colleague Robert Jenrick, a former Tory Cabinet minister, drew criticism after complaining that the Handsworth area of Birmingham was “one of the worst integrated places” he had ever been, claiming that he spent an hour and a half filming there and “didn't see another white face”.Nigel Farage with Reform UK MP Andrew Rosindell and Laila Cunningham. Dan Kitwood / Getty ImagesInfoAnd this week, twenty-seven MPs have called for the equalities watchdog to investigate alleged Islamophobia in the Reform UK party.In their letter to Mary-Ann Stephenson, chairwoman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), the group called for a “formal investigation” into Nigel Farage’s party.They said Reform UK had potentially breached its obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and claimed it had no adequate disciplinary process for people in the party to raise their concerns.But Ms Cunningham doubled down, saying the UK has become “a hotbed for radicalisation for people from the Middle East”. She said Gulf governments have warned London about the Muslim Brotherhood for years, and that the threat remains live.Ms Cunningham, who was born and brought up in London, referred to the Al Quds Day protest in March, which was banned by police but went ahead on a smaller scale, against the law. It is billed as an international show of solidarity with Palestine, but some carried images of the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.QuoteUntil we have the guts to recognise it, like they do in the Middle East, we’re in dangerLaila Cunningham“It’s very real,” Ms Cunningham said of the threat by Islamists.Security Service MI5 ranks Islamist terrorism is the most significant terrorist threat to the UK by volume, with much of the threat coming from people who have self-radicalised, seeking to carry out attacks using unsophisticated methods.Muslim Brotherhood threat“We have allowed Islamists to thrive because we want to be politically correct. The IRGC was marching on our streets a few weeks ago with signs of Ayatollah Khomeini, saying the IRGC is great. These are people that say 'death to the West, death to Jews' on our streets.”She said the fear of being called Islamophobic has led to inaction on security risks. “People are more scared of being called Islamophobic than they are of protecting people. Islamism shows its form in many different guises. It’s not just a terrorist attack.”Her run comes as Nigel Farage's Reform looks to make an electoral breakthrough at the next general election. Critics have accused some Reform candidates and supporters of barely-concealed racism, a charge they strongly deny.One of Mr Farage's most vocal calls has been to ban the Muslim Brotherhood, which current and past leaders have resisted, partly out of concern it would alienate Muslims, and drive extremists underground. France and Germany have taken tougher action, including close surveillance and asset freezes, but Reform want a crackdown and an outright ban, as there has been in several Gulf states, most notably the UAE.'Managed immigration'“When my parents came in the ’60s, immigration was very low in numbers. They came wanting to integrate. But what we’ve seen is that when it comes in large numbers, they overtake certain parts, they tend to dominate.” She pointed to the UAE's model of work-only visas as an example of a system that prioritises contribution and departure when employment ends.As well as legal migration, the UK government has been wrestling with how to reduce the number of illegal immigrants arriving via the English Channel.Home Office data shows 44,000 people were detected arriving through illegal routes in the year ending March 2026, with small boats accounting for 39,000 of those. Since records began in 2018, more than 200,000 migrants have crossed the Channel in small boats. Just 7,612 illegal migrants have been deported since 2018, fewer than 4 per cent of arrivals. Ninety-five per cent of small boat arrivals have claimed asylum, and 52 per cent of all asylum seekers in the year ending March 2026 arrived through illegal routes.Reform UK made historic gains this month, picking up 1,450 council seats in elections seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Cunningham said the movement is about the “silent majority” finally finding its voice.“You’ve had people in this country who vote one way, vote for a party, for particular things, and the party they voted for not only does the complete opposite, but looks down on them for voting the way they did,” the former Conservative councillor said.She said many Muslims like her do not identify publicly with their faith and are not represented by those groups.The UK government maintains it does not comment on security and intelligence matters, including proscription decisions. For Cunningham, the priority is clear.“Until we have the guts to recognise it, like they do in the Middle East, we’re in danger.”