London’s new mayor Sadiq Khan today accused David Cameron’s ruling Conservative party of using “fear and innuendo” in a bid to turn religious and ethnic groups against each other during the mayoral campaign and said the tactics were straight out of the “Donald Trump playbook”.
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The fight to run London – the top prize in the local elections – has pitted Labour’s Khan, 45, the son of an immigrant bus driver, against Conservative Zac Goldsmith, 41, the elite-educated son of a billionaire financier.
Sadiq Khan speaks to supporters in Montgomery Square in Canary Wharf on Wednesday in London.
Mr Khan’s victory – which gave him the largest personal mandate of any politician in United Kingdom history – ends eight years of Conservative control of City Hall.
Jeremy Corbyn is facing a major split with Sadiq Khan, who launched a scathing attack on the party leader just hours after his stunning victory to become London Mayor.
Baroness Lawrence, mother of murdered teenager Stephen, took to the podium to pay tribute to Khan.
Sadiq Khan was announced early this morning as the victor of the London mayoral election and he now becomes the most senior Muslim politician in Western Europe.
Mohammed Amin, chair of the Conservative Muslim Forum, said Mr Goldsmith’s attempts to “smear” Mr Khan has “probably increased our risks of suffering terrorism”.
According to the Guardian’s Owen Jones, Goldsmith attempted to play to Londoners’ prejudices, repeatedly attempting to insinuate a link between Khan and Muslim extremists.
“I wish him well as he sets out to build on the successes that we have seen from Boris Johnson”.
The new London Mayor used a series of media appearances over the weekend to issue a warning about the party’s direction.
JENNY GROSS: I think it’s extremely important, as you said, at the time of rising Islamaphobia here, in the U.K.in particular.
He harked back to his humble beginnings – “So you better know this but I grew up in a council estate”, – and said he achieved what he never dreamt of because of the opportunities and “helping hand” the city offered him and his family.
“To have a Muslim mayor seems preferable to me to any alternative regardless of the politics”, said actor Sir Ian McKellen, who greeted Khan.
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The last Labour London mayor was Ken Livingstone.
