People in cities and towns up and down the country will go to the polls on Thursday to deliver their verdict on a government that seems to neither like us nor understand our values and way of life.

Under Theresa May’s leadership, the Conservative party has turned its back on urban and suburban areas by pursuing policies and public spending decisions that discriminate against our cities and towns.

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Every new policy, decision and announcement seems designed to antagonise people living in urban areas. Not just the poor, the inner-city dwellers, the ethnically diverse and the young – who the Conservatives have repeatedly failed – but also the middle classes, the commuters, those in the suburbs, and all who value Britain’s tolerance, diversity and proud traditions.

This is hitting in particular people living in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle, but also places such as Milton Keynes, Swindon, Trafford, Walsall and Worcester. It is hardly surprising that residents in our cities and towns are turning their backs on the Tories when they have turned their backs on us.

Public services have been decimated by years of austerity. Police numbers have been cut and crime is now rising. The housing crisis has gone from bad to worse across the country. We have a government using taxpayers’ money in the courts to avoid having to tackle toxic air pollution, and a prime minister who is willing to put our jobs, prosperity and rights at risk in pursuit of the most extreme and damaging version of Brexit possible – serving the Tory interest rather than the national interest.

In the last week alone we have seen how little May’s government understands our values or our way of life. First, because of the heartbreaking, shameful and disgraceful treatment of the incredible Windrush generation. Second, because of the failure to have any plan on how to address the latest appalling national crime statistics. And third, with its refusal even to consider Britain remaining in the customs union after Brexit.

Q&A What are enforced departures? Show Hide There are three layers of state-enforced or enforceable departures of immigrants from the UK: deportations, administrative removals and voluntary departures. Deportations apply to people and their children whose removal is deemed 'conducive to the public good' by the home secretary. They can also be recommended by a court.

Administrative removals refer to cases involving the enforced removal of non-citizens who have either entered the country illegally, outstayed a visa, or violated the conditions of their leave to remain. Voluntary departures are people against whom enforced removal has been initiated; the term 'voluntary' simply describes how they leave. There are three sub-categories: a) Those who depart via assisted voluntary return schemes.

b) Those who make their own travel arrangements and tell the authorities. c) Those who leave without notifying the government.

As the scandalous treatment of the Windrush generation emerged, Conservative politicians tried to give the impression that it was an anomaly, an accidental series of mistakes. But the British people know this is a lie. We know that it was the deliberate intention to create a “hostile environment” for migrants. We know this because the Conservatives have repeatedly bragged about this for years.

Thousands of British people have been subject to inhumane treatment at the hands of the immigration system designed by May – a system that has turned lay people into unofficial immigration officers, requiring landlords to check the nationality of tenants, and forcing NHS staff to check the nationality of patients.

May is also responsible for vans saying “go home” that were driven around the most ethnically diverse parts of our country. The “hostile environment” of which she is the architect has played a role in fuelling division and mistrust.

This weekend’s revelations have exposed Amber Rudd even further as someone who appears completely unaware about what is going on in her own department. It frankly beggars belief. What the home secretary and prime minister don’t appear to understand is that the Windrush scandal is the direct consequence of their policies and not just another example of the administrative chaos at the Home Office.

It is about a generation who have lived here all their lives suddenly feeling they are not wanted here. Rather than hiding behind process or blaming civil servants yet again, the time has now surely come for the home secretary to resign.

This government’s failure also extends to crime. Official statistics released last week showed that across England and Wales knife crime rose by a fifth last year, while robberies rose by 33% and burglaries by 9%.

Q&A What do you think can be done to tackle gun and knife crime in London? Show Hide What viewpoints do you think need to be heard that aren’t currently? Do you feel your community is represented? If you’re a young person, what’s your experience and are there changes you would you like to see? You can share your views and experiences using our encrypted form here. We will use some of your responses in our reporting. Only the Guardian has access to your contributions.

Rudd, who succeeded May as home secretary, tried to claim that rising crime has no link with the Conservatives taking 21,000 police officers off our streets since 2010 – until she was undermined by the actual evidence that she commissioned from within her own department but claimed not to have read. It seems there is a lot going on in the Home Office of which she is unaware.

When the statistics were released, the home secretary, astonishingly, refused to even comment on them, never mind announce any policies to address the unacceptable rise in crime. The government should now be committing to invest in our police forces, public services and communities – resources desperately needed to enable us to be both tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime.

The same story is also true of the government’s ideological pursuit of the most extreme and reckless version of Brexit.

Westminster is now in paralysis – tied up with the pursuit of a hard Brexit and a Tory government in chaos. So it is left to Labour to stand up for our cities and towns, to fill the leadership vacuum left by Westminster, to fix the challenges people face in their daily lives, and to fight for our public services and our values.

The Tories have nothing to offer the voters of our cities and towns, not a single positive offer – just more of the same austerity and cuts. They are tired and devoid of any ideas. So it is now incumbent on all of us, but especially Labour – with our proud history of fighting for the many not the few, and fighting discrimination and racism – to ensure that our cities and towns are fair, inclusive, safe places for everyone. This includes redoubling our efforts to stamp out the antisemitism that has risen in recent years, wherever we find it.

I urge everyone in every city and town across Britain to vote Labour this Thursday. To elect a Labour council that will stand up for you. To send a message to this Conservative government that we have had enough of its continual assaults on our values. And to take the crucial next step on the path to electing a Labour government, led by Jeremy Corbyn, that will understand our way of life and deliver the real change we so desperately need.

Sadiq Khan is the mayor of London