After bitter campaign: Sadiq Khan becomes first Muslim mayor of London

Fights off Zac Goldsmith, will replace Conservative Boris Johnson

LONDON:

Sadiq Khan, the son of a Pakistani bus driver, became London’s first Muslim mayor on Friday, seeing off a Conservative challenger who attempted to link him to extremism and securing a much-needed victory for his opposition Labour Party.

As New York mayor Bill de Blasio sent his congratulations, Sadiq had yet to receive official notification of his victory, which would go some way to soothing the wounds of Labour which suffered losses in Thursday’s other local elections.



Dealt a crushing blow in Scotland, where it came third behind the Scottish National Party and Britain’s ruling Conservatives, Labour did better than expected in England, saving its left-leaning leader from an early challenge.

But the big prize was the London mayor vote, which pitted Sadiq, 45, who grew up in public housing in inner city London, against Conservative Zac Goldsmith, 41, the son of a billionaire financier.

A source close to the count said Sadiq could not now be beaten in the race. Subsequently De Blasio said on Twitter: “Sending congratulations to London’s new mayor and fellow affordable housing advocate, @SadiqKhan.”

Sadiq’s margin of victory looked set to be narrower than expected in a possible sign that a bitter campaign marred by charges of anti-Semitism and extremism and charges of anti-Semitism in Labour ranks might have taken its toll.

The Labour lawmaker now replaces Conservative Boris Johnson, who has run the city of 8.6 million people for eight years. A top campaigner for Britain to leave the EU, Johnson is seen as a contender to succeed David Cameron as party leader and prime minister.

The Conservatives were keen to keep hold of the post, which does not run the City of London financial district but has influence over government in lobbying for the capital. The mayor is responsible for areas such as policing, transport, housing and the environment.

Accusations

Sadiq held his lead in the opinion polls, despite accusations by Goldsmith that he has shared platforms with radical Muslim speakers and given “oxygen” to extremists.

But the Labour lawmaker says he has fought extremism all his life and regrets sharing a stage with speakers who held “abhorrent” views.

The Labour Party accused Goldsmith and the ruling Conservative Party of smearing Khan.

Goldsmith denied the charge, saying he had raised legitimate questions over his opponent’s judgment - but the tactics do seem to have backfired with some voters interviewed by Reuters saying they found the campaign “disgusting and slimy”.

The tactics have also divided the Conservative party.

After projections put Sadiq as the winner, Baroness Sayeed Warsi of the Conservative Party said on Twitter “Our appalling dog whistle campaign for London Mayor 2016 lost us the election, our reputation and credibility on issues of race and religion.”



Goldsmith’s sister, Jemima – whose former husband Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan had campaigned for – too deplored the Conservative campaign. “Sad that Zac’s campaign did not reflect who I know him to be- an eco-friendly, independent- minded politician with integrity.”

While fighting those charges, Sadiq, a former human rights lawyer, also distanced himself from the newly elected Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, after a row over anti-Semitism. 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 7^th, 2016.