The creator of a petition which has over 54,000 signatures calling for Sadiq Khan to be removed as Mayor of London has revealed his reasons for starting it.

Speaking exclusively to getwestlondon , Matthew Lee, said he didn't begin the petition because he's racist, but because "London shouldn't get special treatment post-Brexit".

The 36-year-old from Swakeley in Derbyshire said: "We have a huge north and south divide because of people like Sadiq Khan.

Sadiq Khan has said London deserves a place on the Brexit negotiation table

"Introducing things like a London-only migrant visa means it's going against the migration policies we might have now we're out of the EU."

When asked about the petition, City Hall had responded today (January 3) to say: "Sadiq campaigned for Britain to remain in the European Union but respects the democratic will of the people.

"He is determined to secure the best possible deal for London from the Brexit negotiations – because when London flourishes, so does the rest of the country."

Video Loading

But 36-year-old Mr Lee said: "I totally disagree - when London flourishes, the rest of the country suffers.

"He's not an MP and shouldn't be allowed to step in and request special treatment for London.

"It is only the capital because the government is there, not because business is just there, there's more labour and manufacturing work outside of London."

The Mayor has raised his concerns about the future of London businesses following the Brexit decision

The petition , which began several months ago, has re-emerged as MPs voted on triggering Article 50 on Wednesday (February 1), the first process.

London had an overwhelming majority of voters choosing to remain in the European Union and this was backed by west London MPs who supported what they argued was the majority in their constituency.

Keep up to date with the latest news in west London via the free getwestlondon app.

You can even set it to receive push notifications for all the breaking news in your area.

Available to download from the App Store or Google Play for Android now!