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Reform UK's candidate for Mayor of London has sparked a row after saying parts of the capital feel "like a Muslim city". Laila Cunningham, Westminster City councillor and mother of seven who defected from the Tories, made the explosive comments in a podcast interview with the London Standard.

She said: "If you go to parts of London, it does feel like a Muslim city. The signs are written in a different language, you've got burqas being sold in markets."

Her remarks came as Ms Cunninngham, who is herself a muslim, called for British people to be put first in social housing allocations across the capital.

The councillor said: "I think the problem is, various councils have prioritised refugees for social housing and they've been put in areas, and the demographics, the values and the way of life in that area, they've changed [...] I'd like to see councils prioritise British people for social housing. [...] You've got to ask yourself if you're not prioritising your own country, then when are you going to be prioritised."

Ms Cunningham said there was no problem with the amount of muslims living in the city, instead arguing that there should be "one civic culture in London, and that's British".

In a fiery exchange with the interviewer, she said: "I am a Muslim, and I am British."

But her comments have sparked furious reaction from Labour MP, Dawn Butler, who represents a London constituency.

Ms Butler said: "Calling for Muslim women to be stopped and searched simply for what they wear is discriminatory and dangerous. It is everything London is not. Our city is built on freedom, fairness, respect and acceptance, not profiling people because of their faith or appearance. Telling women what to wear is plainly wrong. Anyone who holds views like this is not fit to be Mayor of London and not fit to represent this wonderful city."

At no point in the interview did Ms Cunningham call for people to be stopped and searched because they are Muslim. Instead she argued that people covering their faces should be subject to legitimate stop and search powers - a position she says is about security and safety, not faith.

Sir Sadiq Khan, the current Mayor of London, did not comment when approached by the Daily Express.

The row comes as Reform UK continues its march through British politics, with the party hoping to seize control of a slew of London councils in next May's elections. Ms Cunningham's comments drew a more measured response from Conservative London Assembly member Susan Hall, who ran against Mr Khan in the last mayoral election.

Ms Hall said: "Laila Cunningham will know - as she was a Conservative at the time - that it has long been Conservative policy for social housing to prioritise the British people, and this is a policy which my colleagues and I support.

"When it comes to communities in London, we must have a unifying culture and values to which we are all striving, regardless of background: like the many tributaries of the Thames, it should not matter where we have come from if we are all flowing in the same direction towards the sea. I'm proud of my country, and my city - and I want other Londoners to be too. Anyone who knows me knows this about me, my love of our flags and our history. I want others to love these things too."