The announcement came from party leader Nigel Farage at a press conference in central London on Wednesday, January 8, where Ms Cunningham, a Westminster City councillor and former criminal prosecutor, set out her intention to fight on a tough law-and-order platform.
Mr Farage said: “She has given up a very successful, well-paid job to do this full time.
“She will also head Reform’s London campaigning.”
Ms Cunningham said: “There will be a new sheriff in town, and I’ll be launching an all-out war on crime.
“I will set clear, high-level priorities for the Met to focus on tackling knife crime, drugs, robbery, shoplifting, rape.”
She said she would rewrite the London police and crime plan and give “new marching orders” to the Metropolitan Police to “tackle crime that matters”.
She also said policing problems in the Met were about priorities rather than recruitment.
Ms Cunningham also vowed to scrap the ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) if elected.
When pressed about the future of the congestion charge, she said “you will have to wait and find out”.
She also floated proposals to automate parts of the London Underground, arguing that it could reduce union influence over the transport network.
Asked about her vision of returning London to its “glory days,” Ms Cunningham referred to her childhood.
She said: “When I was growing up, I wasn’t scared to walk down the streets.
“I knew my local bobby.
“In fact, when I was growing up, my local teacher lived next to me.
“Now she can’t afford it.
“My local bobby lived next to me; now he can’t afford it.”
Ms Cunningham originally entered politics as a Conservative councillor in Westminster in 2022.
She defected to Reform UK in June last year, saying she wanted to fight for “lower taxes, controlled borders, and putting Britain first”.
Her move to Reform led to her leaving her job at the Crown Prosecution Service in June last year after she made a series of politically charged comments while announcing her move to Reform.
She later said she was informed she might have violated the Civil Service code of conduct.
Her role as a prosecutor bound her by strict rules limiting political activity that could be seen to compromise impartiality, in line with those followed by civil servants.
After Ms Cunningham’s comments to The Standard newspaper were published, the CPS said she had offered her resignation and it had been accepted.
Ms Cunningham also criticised both Labour and the Conservatives for failing on crime, spoke out about spiralling national debt, and criticised net zero policies.
A source close to London Mayor Sir Sadiq said: “After winning with a historic landslide victory in May 2024, his third, Sadiq is getting on with the job of delivering a fairer, safer, greener city for every Londoners.
“Sadiq has delivered 100 million free school meals for state primary school kids in the capital, helping families with the cost of living.
“The number of homicides in London are at a record low, he’s built a record number of council homes and Sadiq’s policies have cut harmful air pollution in the capital by 27%.”
Mr Farage is expected to announce Reform UK’s leader in Scotland at a press conference in Edinburgh next Thursday.
He has not however revealed whether the party will have a separate leader in Wales, telling reporters the situation was a “work in progress.”
