LONDON: Sadiq Khan, the son of a 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.
The Labour lawmaker 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.
As New York mayor Bill de Blasio sent his congratulations, Khan 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.
A source close to the count said Khan could not now be beaten in the race. De Blasio said on Twitter: “Sending congratulations to London’s new mayor and fellow affordable housing advocate, @SadiqKhan.”
Khan held his lead in the opinion polls, despite accusations by Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith that he has shared platforms with radical Muslim speakers and given “oxygen” to extremists.
Khan says he has fought extremism all his life and that he 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.”
While fighting those charges, Khan, a former human rights lawyer, also distanced himself from the newly elected Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, after a row over anti-Semitism.
Sadiq Khan becomes first Muslim mayor of London
Sadiq Khan becomes first Muslim mayor of London
