Sadiq Khan presented Pope Francis with London tea during their meeting at the Vatican on Thursday.
The mayor of London visited the Vatican for an audience with Pope Francis on Thursday morning, before delivering a speech on his efforts to position London as a leader in tackling climate change.
Khan gifted Pope Francis with a “gift book” containing four teas from the London Tea Exchange, as reported by The Evening Standard.
“It’s a privilege and an honour to be invited by His Holiness the Pope to his home in Vatican City. I feel blessed,” said Khan.
Khan was attending a three-day climate change conference at the Vatican.
“This is the most nervous I have been for some time. I’m not normally nervous but I didn’t sleep at all last night. I’m excited, I’m nervous, it’s a huge privilege – I recognise there are more than a million Londoners of Catholic faith who would give their right arm to spend time with His Holiness. He has invited me and that is a big responsibility for me,” he said.
Khan serves as the co-chair of C40 Cities, a global network of nearly 100 mayors dedicated to fighting climate change. He noted that 75 percent of C40 cities were "progressing faster when it comes to reducing emissions than our national governments".
Pope Francis requested Khan to discuss “leadership in the age of climate change,” highlighting London’s electric bus fleet, the expansion of cycle lanes, and the establishment of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), as reported by The Evening Standard.
"I think the results (in London) two weeks ago show that green policies are popular," Khan told AFP. He won the London's May 2 mayoral race by a significant margin.
FILE PHOTO: A general view shows British Steel's Scunthorpe plant, in Scunthorpe, northern England, Britain, March 31, 2025. REUTERS/Dominic Lipinski
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. (Representational image: iStock)
FBU chief raises concern over rise in racist online posts by union members
THE FIRE Brigades Union (FBU) and other trade unions are increasingly concerned about a rise in racist and bigoted online comments by their own members and officials, according to Steve Wright, the FBU’s new general secretary, speaking to the Guardian.
Wright said internal inquiries have revealed dozens of cases involving members using racist slurs or stereotypes, often aimed at asylum seekers.
He said similar issues were reported in other unions, prompting a joint campaign to counter false narratives around immigration and race promoted by far-right groups online.
“People with far-right views are becoming more brazen in what they do on social media, and I’ve witnessed it with my own union around disciplinary cases and the rhetoric of some of our own members,” Wright said to the newspaper.
He added, “Some of our members and sometimes our reps have openly made comments which are racist and bigoted. In my time in the fire service, that has gone up.”
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. A formal statement addressing far-right narratives will be launched at the union’s annual conference in Blackpool next month.
Wright cited the influence of social media and figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage as factors contributing to these incidents. “It feels like an itch that we’ve got to scratch,” he said.
The FBU barred a former official last year for allegedly endorsing racist content on X, including posts from Britain First and Tommy Robinson.
Wright also warned that the union could strike if the government moves to cut frontline fire services.