Tories delete 'London crime' video that used footage of New York Metro

The Conservative Party came under fire for using footage from a stampede at a New York subway station in a sinister black and white attack ad on Labour mayor Sadiq Khan.

The video showed the stampede which happened in the US city after reports of gunfire and suggested it was taken in London.

Over a clip of people running out of Penn Station, a voiceover says: “In the chaos people seek a desperate reprieve, egged on by the Labour mayor who wants to decriminalise the use of illegal drugs.”

The video, published ahead of the Mayoral election on May 2 where Conservative candidate Susan Hall is hoping to oust Sadiq Khan, was swiftly deleted. A Tory HQ source told the Standard: "It is being corrected”.

Mr Khan slammed the ad, saying: “It is unpatriotic always slagging off the capital city.” 

A source close to the mayor added: “It’s true to form for the Tory campaign . It’s a deeply misleading attack, intentionally talking down London from a candidate who appears to have no love for the city she aspires to lead.”

It comes as the party also found itself accused of “copyright infringement” after posting another online advert inspired by the cult US science-fiction show The Twilight Zone.

The promo, which describes life under a Labour government as being like “a dystopian future”, uses the opening credits and theme tune from the hit show while a voiceover tells viewers: “You’re travelling through another dimension, a dimension of higher taxes and higher bills”.

The advert uses black and white ghostly pictures of leading Labour figures, including Rachel Reeves and Ed Miliband, while an eerie voiceover tells voters “You’re moving into a worse future of unfunded ideas and fewer opportunities where rubbish lines the street and local crime goes unchecked.

“You’ve just crossed over into life under Labour”.

But Anne Serling, the daughter of The Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling, took to Twitter to demand it be taken down.

She said: “Absolute copyright infringement. Please immediately remove this.”

The hit show, which blended science-fiction with horror and fantasy, ran for five years from 1959 with episodes continuing to be repeated for many years after.

It has also been revived by the BBC who did a radio version of the show and three spin-off TV series have also been made as well as it inspiring books, a film and several fairground rides.

It also inspired a play that ran in the West End while the TV show also provided early career breaks for actors who went on to become major stars including Charles Bronson, Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper and Robert Redford.

The Conservative Party has been approached for further comment.