BY ANY standards 2023 has been a stellar and busy year for Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. Delivering free school meals for all primary schools in the capital, freezing transport fares for five years and expanding the ultra-low emission zone or ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) for the whole of his domain. And just in case Khan does not have enough on his plate, 2024 is election year. If he is lucky and Londoners lend him their vote, he will be voted in for a record third time. More, if his party is lucky, Khan will get to work with his long-term friend, Sir Keir Starmer. Not that he is taking anything for granted. “I’m hoping that Londoners will lend me their vote again on May 2” Mayor of London Khan continued.
“It’s not about making history, a third term, it’s about shaping our future. “But I’m really excited about the chance of a Labour mayor working with a Labour prime minister. I’ve known Keir [Starmer] for almost 30 years, we used to work together as lawyers. He’s a thoroughly decent man, he understands our best years are ahead of us. He’s worked incredibly hard, so I’m really excited about the chance of working with Kier Starmer again when he’s prime minister, and I’m London mayor. But it will only happen, though, if people vote Labour on May 2nd, and whenever the general election is called.” The problem is that his critics have played dirty. Take for example what happened last November. Khan fell victim to a fake audio clip posted on social media which made out that he wanted to postpone Armistice Day, so a proPalestinian march could go ahead. “That was a complete lie, a fabrication, but the problem was that misinformation spreads like wildfire,” he said.
“Those on the far right, those extremists, some Conservatives, and others, amplified that. So, an impression was given that I was instructing the police to ban Remembrance Day, and that led to the far right turning up that weekend. “You saw outrageous behaviour from the Far Right causing problems around the Cenotaph, assaulting our police, breaking the law. Many experts think that this was a direct result of the deep fake audio. My concern is, in 2024, you’ll see more of this sort of stuff, algorithms being used in a mischievous way. Deep fake videos, deep fake audio being used to spread lies and misinformation, and it’s proper that we call that out.” Specialist officers in the Met Police said that the matter did not “constitute a criminal offence”. The mayor told the Power List that extremists fabricated the AI clip because of his stance on the Israeli-Hamas conflict.
“One of the things that I feel very passionate about is what’s happened in the Middle East,” he said. “Of course, we’ve got to condemn what Hamas did in October the 7th, those 1200 souls that we lost, and taking children and other hostages. But we’ve got to condemn unequivocally also what [Benjamin] Netanyahu and his government are doing in Gaza. Almost 30,000 men, women and children killed, civilian buildings destroyed, hospitals destroyed, deprived of water and mortar essentials, and that’s why I’ve been calling for a ceasefire.” In 2016, our sister publication, Eastern Eye, reported how the mayoral race descended into accusations of Islamophobia and the Conservatives denying it. During it, Khan’s opponent, Zac Goldsmith, accused him of providing “cover to extremists”. Goldsmith, now a Conservative peer, rejected that he had called the mayor an extremist, but Muslim groups accused the party of targeting Khan because of his faith.
Now, Khan told the Power List that the deep fake incident showed that the attacks had already begun. He criticised the choice of the Tory candidate for mayor, Susan Hall. “My fear is that the 2024 mayoral election will be very similar to the 2016 mayoral election, which you (Eastern Eye) reported on,” he explained. “The Conservatives have chosen a candidate who’s a hard right politician, who couldn’t be more out of touch with our city and our values. She’s an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and Suella Braverman. She cheered Liz Truss’ mini budget, she wants to deport migrants to Rwanda, and I think she hates London’s diversity.” The Power List contacted Hall, but she declined to comment. Khan said that the diverse communities in London were the capital’s strengths. “I’m confident that Londoners will see through a campaign that seeks to divide us, a campaign that seeks to spread fear. But I’m worried by it that it has an impact on our kids and our nephews and nieces, because somebody who’s thinking about a career in politics or in public life may be put off by the sort of stuff I’ve got to go through. My concern is our parents, uncles and aunties, grandparents will say to their nephews, nieces, kids, grandkids, listen, if Sadiq is going through this, then I worry about you, so please don’t get into politics. It’s really important we call this out.
The mayor knows that the Asian communities support him through the personal attacks. “One of the things that I’m humbled by is the huge support given to me by the Asian community. “The Asian community have been fantastic, but it’s not just been in London, the greatest city in the world. In relation to their contribution, they’re making business and health and charity in the faith communities. In supporting me and calling out some of the racism that I’m at the receiving end of, often I don’t have to stand up for myself because our community stands up for me.” With the possibility that Trump will be the Republican candidate for the US presidency, Khan reiterated that every time the former president posted on social media the more he would face threats. “The police do their own risk assessments, and they’re obviously concerned.
There’s been some independent research done that shows that there’s a massive increase in hatred I receive when Donald is president. “So, I’m afraid this year with Donald once again running to be president, experts predict another surge in the hatred that I receive. You can do a graph, Donald being president and Donald saying stuff and the hatred I receive.” Khan still needs police protection, and he told this publication that it impacted his family. But he was adamant that this would not stop him meeting the people he has been elected to serve.
“The police will say proudly to you that I’m a pain in the arse because I still use a tube I still walk about, I still go to restaurants,” he said. “I still go to gigs and so forth, so it’s difficult for the police, and I’m really grateful for the police. But I’m not going to stop mixing and mingling, it’s a challenge for the police, whether it’s Diwali in the Square (Trafalgar Square), or Eid in the Square or Vaisakhi in the Square or me using the tube or going to a restaurant. They want to make sure I’m safe, but what I’m not going to do is lock myself away because one of the things that keeps me grounded is my connection with the community and being out and about is really important to me. “I’m grateful the police allow me to do as much as I can, within reason, but I’m not going to change because we can’t allow these extremists to cower us.
” Khan is no stranger to controversy – Londoners have protested about his ULEZ expansion. But he is not afraid of taking tough decisions. Sticking up for people is nothing new for the London mayor. “I’m quite clear, there’s no point being a leader if you’re not going to be bold and brave. “None of us have to put up with dirty water, so why should we put up with dirty air? As somebody who used to be a lawyer, I think you got to follow the evidence. Evidence plus values leads to decent leaders.
My values are one of social justice and racial justice. The evidence is those who are poor experience some of the worst air quality. Those who are black Asian minority ethnics suffer the worst air quality. We know what causes particle matter, what causes nitrogen dioxide. More than half comes from transport, and you can’t see this invisible killer. “We’ve seen a huge transformation in the centre of our city, and we’ve seen almost 50 per cent reduction in the course of a year. “We expanded it to inner London and we saw a further 20 per cent reduction. “But why shouldn’t those in outer London also benefit from that cleaner air? What makes me really proud is when I first became mayor, King’s College London said it will take 193 years for the air in London to be within lawful limits – we’ll get there by 2025. Of course, it’s been tough, it wasn’t an easy decision. But I think just like those who expressed concern about tobacco 40 years ago have been indicated I’ll be vindicated.” When we speak at the beginning of the year for the Power List, Khan is relaxed, and he has his trademark steely determination but oozes charisma.
He is a pugilist. Unafraid to talk about any topic, and unafraid to speak his mind, no matter who disagrees with him or who he may upset. For example, what does he think about the far-right rhetoric being used by the Conservative Party – especially by the south Asian politicians who are children of immigrants? “I think all of us will end our political career at some stage. I think all of us when we look back at our careers, whatever career that is, by the way, whether it’s in journalism, in politics and business, should look back with pride, not regret. And I’m afraid a lot of these people, Conservative politicians, once they stopped being a politician, they are going to look back with regret at some of the things they’ve said, some of the way they voted. “When I think about the contribution successive generations of asylum seekers, refugees and migrants have made London and our country, and then I reflect on what some of their children, grandchildren are saying, it beggars belief.
I’m heartbroken that all the hopes and aspirations of millions of people had across the country about [Rishi] Sunak have not materialised, and I’m disappointed that Sunak often speaks the language of the hard right. “I’m frustrated how communities across our country have been divided, whether it’s north versus south, Asians versus whites, Indian origin versus Pakistani origin, those who voted remain versus those who voted leave (in Brexit). I think the job of leaders is to bring people together.
“I think once Sunak retires, or when Sunak is booted out at the general election, when members of his cabinet lose their jobs, they’re going to regret that the opportunity they had to heal our country, to bring us together, to be people who were changemakers and role models, were squandered.” We should never forget Khan’s history. He lived with his parents, who emigrated from Pakistan before he was born, in a three-bedroom house on the Henry Prince Estate in Earlsfield, south-west London. It was a cramped home, sharing it with his seven siblings – he is the fifth of eight. Indeed, the house was so constricted that he shared a bunk bed with one of his brothers until he left home in his 20s. And throughout his school days he was on free meals – something which continues to drive him to this day.
“One of the things I’ve sought to do as the mayor is to be authentic and use my life experiences, often when it could be unpopular. “One of the things that we’ve done is free school meals. It’s currently means tested in England. A lot of people are living in poverty and already struggling. But also remember the stigma and embarrassment and shame of receiving a free school meal. The separate token, the separate queue, the embarrassment. And so, I was keen to make sure all of our children get free school meals. It gets rid of the stigma, it gets rid of the shame. “But also, we know it’s led to improved attendance at school, has led to better concentration in school, and has led to better productivity in school. It also takes a huge strain and stress off parents. We’ve calculated that over the course of last year, and this year, the average family with one child will save £1000, so imagine if you’ve got two or three kids the difference that will make. “So rather than you skipping meals so the kids can eat, you don’t have to worry about putting a roof over your head or food on the table. “You can rest assured that your kids get to eat a nutritious, healthy meal, which is really important. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the government will follow our lead, and so it’s disappointing, but it’s been hugely popular in London, it’s benefitted some of our kids. It really is just uplifting.”
