Labour's Sadiq Khan elected London mayor [Update Post #89]

[TSA321]

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/poli...s-his-bid-to-be-mayor-of-london-10246742.html

Sadiq Khan launched his bid to run London today — with a blast at Boris Johnson for being “a red carpet mayor”.

Announcing his campaign for mayor in the Evening Standard, the former shadow justice secretary said he wanted to be seen as “Mr London”.

“For the last eight years you’ve seen a red carpet mayor, somebody who is fantastic going to openings, great with a flute of champagne in his hands,” he said in an interview with editor Sarah Sands.

“I’d rather roll up my sleeves and fight for all Londoners.”

Mr Khan, the Tooting MP, is the fifth Labour name to enter the race to succeed Mr Johnson next year, following Tessa Jowell, David Lammy, Diane Abbott and Christian Wolmar.

The son of a No 44 London bus driver, he ran a legal practice before entering Parliament and is married with two teenage daughters. He said: “I want to be seen as Mr London — as an exemplar of the best of London. A working class boy done good.”

He revealed that he had to take his own copy of the Koran to Buckingham Palace to be sworn in as a member of the Privy Council, and donated it to the Palace for other Muslims to swear the Oath on.

In a controversial opening shot, Mr Khan said he would review the popular Garden Bridge scheme if he won.

“The idea is a great idea, but I think we were sold a pup,” he charged.

“We were promised no taxpayers’ money. We were promised it would be open to the public. We were promised no sights would be obscured. One of the first things I would do is look into the Garden Bridge, its viability and whether it can work.”

He branded Mr Johnson’s Emirates Air Line cable car over the Thames as “a big vanity project”, adding: “Once the contract ends we must seriously consider what we do with the cable car.”

A close ally of Ed Miliband, Mr Khan defended the former Labour leader’s decision to be interviewed by Russell Brand, saying the comic “reaches parts of the country that politicians can’t reach”.

Mr Khan ran Labour’s successful borough elections last year and masterminded the general election campaign in the capital, where Labour did better than in other regions.

“For someone like me, a Londoner born and raised here, being the Mayor of London is the best job in politics,” he said.

 

[PetroDollars]

I live on the next street from this guy, however, He will fail badly, extreme left-wing as they come and was the earliest backer and staunch supporter of ed.

On the other hand, it is rumoured that former NY mayor Michael Bloomberg could be running for the conservatives, it will be hard for the left wing to stomach an American billionaire banker running London, but he will be great for London.

 

[TSA321]

On the other hand, it is rumoured that former NY mayor Michael Bloomberg could be running for the conservatives, it will be hard for the left wing to stomach an American billionaire banker running London, but he will be great for London.

He swiftly denied that. He wouldn't even be eligible since he's not a UK citizen.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Good to see Pakistani Muslims stepping up to take part in their country's future in a responsible manner.

 

[Markhor]

Hopefully something can be done about housing in London. The avg house price is £514,000 yet the average wage is around £40,000. Working people cannot afford to live in London which is fast becoming an enclave for the super-rich, the oligarchs and the sheikhs. This is social cleansing and I hope Sadiq Khan (who is not an "extreme left-winger") or David Lammy or whoever can devise policies that will ease this crisis.

Charge foreign buyers a higher rate of stamp duty and scrap tax relief for BTL landlords. Stop foreign investors from buying up homes and leaving them empty.

Boris Johnson is a clown masquerading as a politician, it must be a reflection on how bad Ken Livingstone was viewed that Boris was able to get another term.

 

[PetroDollars]

He swiftly denied that. He wouldn't even be eligible since he's not a UK citizen.

Source?

He is married to a british citizen and his kids are British, He himself can get an instant citizenship with a $15m investment in the country, eligibility is not a problem for him.

 

[Dios]

He is a lightweight compared to Sajid Javid who is a potential future PM and the most impressive British Asian politician.

 

[Dios]

A Conservative mayor supported by a Conservative government in Westminster is what's best for London if it wants to keep up with New York and Hong Kong and maintain its position as a global business capital.

 

[Dios]

The prime issue with their plan for the economy that the Conservatives need to address is their rhetoric on immigration. While low-skilled migration should be capped and controlled, for London, and by extension the UK economy, to expand, Britain needs to attract high-skilled migrants from abroad. There is simply too big a talent gap which the natives aren't filling. It is becoming harder and harder for foreign students to stay on after graduating from UK universities which is ridiculous. Instead of trying to compete with the US and Canada and Australia for these bright minds they are shunning them away, the effects of which are being felt by firms struggling to find talent. The UK is slowly losing its charm and attractiveness to talented foreigners as well. Firstly the tax rate is too high and the universities are losing their attractiveness with continuous rises in fees (not justified by any improvement in quality).

 

[chacha kashmiri]

Would have been an impressive candidate for labour leader if he didn't have the baggage of being Muslim

Has fought hard to get both maajid nawaz and babar ahmed out of jail and probably did more door to door than anyone in the recent general elections

 

[TSA321]

Source?

He is married to a british citizen and his kids are British, He himself can get an instant citizenship with a $15m investment in the country, eligibility is not a problem for him.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/apr/09/knighted-michael-bloomberg-denies-mayor-of-london

 

[TSA321]

Would have been an impressive candidate for labour leader if he didn't have the baggage of being Muslim

Has fought hard to get both maajid nawaz and babar ahmed out of jail and probably did more door to door than anyone in the recent general elections

If he becomes mayor then has a good two terms then I'm sure he'll be tipped for future leader.

 

[chacha kashmiri]

If he becomes mayor then has a good two terms then I'm sure he'll be tipped for future leader.

Are we using the Boris Johnson example but yes, i suppose if he endears himself to London and passes the litmus tests that are thrown his way, he should be tipped for future chairmanship

 

[Gabbar Singh]

Galloway says he will stand too. He won't win but he could split the Labour vote somewhat especially in areas like Tower Hamlets.

 

[s28]

i would vote for George he is good value

 

[PetroDollars]

A Conservative mayor supported by a Conservative government in Westminster is what's best for London if it wants to keep up with New York and Hong Kong and maintain its position as a global business capital.

London is already rated no.1 in most indexes, thanks to 2 great terms by Boris Johnson otherwise we were headed in the gutter with Ken.

Decoding Global Talent
The Boston Consulting Group | October 2014

Edward Glaeser: Two great cities - but London has the edge now over New York
Evening Standard

16 February 2015

London the most influential city in the world according to Forbes
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/11040489/London-the-most-influential-city-in-the-world-according-to-Forbes.html

London beats New York as most popular destination for workers: survey

news.yahoo.com/london-beats-york-most-popular-destination-workers-survey-230632376--finance.html

 

[Robert]

Boris Johnson is a clown masquerading as a politician, it must be a reflection on how bad Ken Livingstone was viewed that Boris was able to get another term.

Mark my words: Boris will be Prime Minister in 2020.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

Boris won consecutive terms because he was Boris not because he was a Tory. London is inherently Labour - despite being humiliated nationwide last week Labour actually increased their seats and share of the vote in London seats (Labour = 45 London seats, Tory 27).

The biggest battle for the likes of Khan will be to win the nomination, once that it done Labour will be favourite to win the mayoral election.

 

[PetroDollars]

Mark my words: Boris will be Prime Minister in 2020.

He will get a good fight from Sajid Javid but its almost guaranteed that Conservatives will win the 2020 elections, especially with Chuka out of the race.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

It's looking like it's Jowell vs Khan for the Labour nomination, it's difficult to see anyone else pipping them. Galloway has confirmed he is running and it looks like the Tory front runner will be King Khan's ex brother in law Zac Goldsmith who is very popular across the political spectrum and given his vast wealth won't have any issues funding his campaign.

http://www.politics.co.uk/news/2015/06/05/zac-goldsmith-expected-to-stand-for-london-mayor

 

[TSA321]

The Conservative leader in the European parliament Syed Kamall launches his bid.
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/mayor/tory-euro-leader-kamalljoins-battle-for-city-hall-10331303.html

 

[Syed1]

Our Pakistani brethren in the UK have really established themselves and risen to higher places..


I cannot even imagine a Pakistani being a mayor of Montreal or Toronto (which has a very high desi population)

 

[Robert]

London is already rated no.1 in most indexes, thanks to 2 great terms by Boris Johnson otherwise we were headed in the gutter with Ken.

Problem with that is London attracts rich foreign people, causing hyperinflation of property values and driving out the ordinary working people through the process of gentrification. Old blocks of council flats are bulldozed, luxury flats built in their place which are immediately bought up by Russian and MidEastern oligarchs who don't live here much of the time.

 

[PetroDollars]

Problem with that is London attracts rich foreign people, causing hyperinflation of property values and driving out the ordinary working people through the process of gentrification. Old blocks of council flats are bulldozed, luxury flats built in their place which are immediately bought up by Russian and MidEastern oligarchs who don't live here much of the time.

Its a myth. People just love blaming the rich for there problems.

Property values have shot up due to simple economics, supply and demand. With the huge number of immigrants coming into UK, most come to London, there is a shortage of homes here now.

Rich people are buying luxury property not any old property in town centers, there are only a few developments along with River Thames that were targeted to the rich. People just blow it out of proportion. If they've risen anything its only luxury property values, which has no effect on normal home values.

 

[Robert]

Its a myth.

No, truth. Gentrification is real - look at Shoreditch, look at Brixton. Communities are being broken up. The council houses are demolished and people moved twenty miles away. If the rich people coming in employed local people it would be a different matter.

The rich do buy old properties and rent them out, anyway. Brixton townhouses go for £1M now.

 

[nish_mate]

London will go downhill and accelerate turning into a slum like Mumbai or karachi or dhaka if we get an asian mayor...

 

[sully3]

No, truth. Gentrification is real - look at Shoreditch, look at Brixton. Communities are being broken up. The council houses are demolished and people moved twenty miles away. If the rich people coming in employed local people it would be a different matter.

The rich do buy old properties and rent them out, anyway. Brixton townhouses go for £1M now.

Meh happens in every big city. Apartments in Queens, Brooklyn in NY huge ghettos are the same.
Being in close proximity to central london was always going to result in the prices going up for these places.
Its only so long a place can be a ghetto, over time the demand of living in/near london will mean all these areas will get developed for the huge property demand.

Look at the gulf nations for an example, in Dubai as space eventually ran out 10 years ago they had no option but to start extending the city into the sea by building on top of it. London hasn't got a sea to build into, places like hackney, slough, shepherds bush etc's development is vital for london to continue to be the leading city of the world.

 

[Syed1]

London will go downhill and accelerate turning into a slum like Mumbai or karachi or dhaka if we get an asian mayor...

Imagine a whitey being a mayor of one of those cities.. Sometimes I'm amazed how open these western countries are to non-indigenous people..

 

[PetroDollars]

No, truth. Gentrification is real - look at Shoreditch, look at Brixton. Communities are being broken up. The council houses are demolished and people moved twenty miles away. If the rich people coming in employed local people it would be a different matter.

The rich do buy old properties and rent them out, anyway. Brixton townhouses go for £1M now.

Whats so bad about gentrification, YES look at Shoreditch, Brixton, Elephant & Castle and many other places, they were stuffed with criminals, things were so bad in Brixton and E&C that you couldn't walk down a street without getting mugged. Thank god those communities have been broken up,

...and what was so good about them, apart from gangsters roaming the streets, the place was filthy, graffiti walls, piles of rubbish, empty high streets etc. everyone must agree the change is for the better. those places were horrible for everyone living there.

and there are no arabs or russians with properties in Brixton.

 

[Robert]

Whats so bad about gentrification, YES look at Shoreditch, Brixton, Elephant & Castle and many other places, they were stuffed with criminals, things were so bad in Brixton and E&C that you couldn't walk down a street without getting mugged. Thank god those communities have been broken up,

The problem with gentrification is that the local merchants who built the community are being priced out.

I have walked through Brixton many times in day and night and felt completely safe.

 

[PetroDollars]

The problem with gentrification is that the local merchants who built the community are being priced out.

I have walked through Brixton many times in day and night and felt completely safe.

It doesnt change the facts that those communities were dangerous and horrible.

almost all kids were being groomed as gangsters.

 

[s28]

Ken Livingstone is backing Corbyn and Sadiq Khan

 

[TSA321]

Labour mayoral hopeful Sadiq Khan has received a massive boost thanks to a new Survation poll showing he would beat Conservative front-runner Zac Goldsmith in a head-to-head race for City Hall.

When Survation asked 1,000 Londoners if they would vote for Khan, Goldsmith or “another party’s candidate”, a surprising 50 per cent said they would back Khan, compared to 37 per cent who said they would support Goldsmith.

Khan’s opponent for Labour nominee, former Olympics minister Tessa Jowell, has widely been seen as the most likely candidate to receive the Labour party’s nomination, while most polling has shown Goldsmith well ahead of his fellow Tory hopefuls.

Last week YouGov, another pollster, said Goldsmith was “closing the gap” on Jowell in the mayoral race, with 53 per cent of Londoners saying they would prefer Jowell in City Hall, compared with 47 per cent backing Goldsmith.

In June, YouGov found Jowell leading by 16 percentage points.

Jowell remains the bookies’ favourite, but Betway said today it has shortened its odds on Khan following the Survation poll.

Betway’s Alan Alger said: “Sadiq Khan’s campaign has really started to pick up steam in recent weeks and we’ve taken a large number of bets for him to pip Tessa Jowell to Labour nomination.

“Khan was as far out as 4/1 just after the General Election and has closed considerably since, but whether he can push on and beat Tessa Jowell remains to be seen.”

Ballots were sent out over the weekend for Labour supporters to cast their votes in the nominating contest. A winner is expected to be announced at an event in London on 11 September.

The Tories opened their voter registration website yesterday. CCHQ has not said when registration will close, or when voting will take place, but the party is expected to announce its candidate at the end of September, before party conferences.

http://www.cityam.com/222549/is-sadiq-khan-the-new-front-runner-for-mayor-of-london

 

[s28]

Sadiq Khan is now the bookies favourite to be our candidate for Mayor of London.

The polls show that Sadiq would beat the Tory candidate by
13%. That's why just this week, he has won the support of Neil Kinnock, Keir
Starmer MP, Ruth Cadbury MP and comedian Bill Bailey.

Sadiq has support from more London Labour MPs and trade unions than any other
candidate.

If you haven't yet, you will receive an email from the Labour Party called 'VOTE
NOW: Labour Party elections' in the next few days. Follow the link in the email and
give Sadiq Khan your number 1 vote for Mayor. It takes just two minutes.

We can make a difference. We can change London together.

Best wishes,

Emily

Emily Thornberry MP

 

[TSA321]

Wow, didn't actually expect this:

Sadiq Khan has been chosen as Labour's candidate for the 2016 London mayoral contest.
The Tooting MP said he was "overwhelmed" and "deeply honoured" after the results were announced.
Mr Khan won 48,152 votes, a 58.9% share, in the fifth round of voting after four other candidates had been eliminated.
Ex-minister Tessa Jowell, regarded as the frontrunner going into the contest, came second with 41.1% of the vote.
A total of 87,954 votes were cast.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-34218390

 

[Markhor]

Won by a distance ! Blairites take another beating, Tessa Jowell was too uninspiring and Establishment.

Should mean Corbyn wins tomorrow too.

 

[s28]

I voted for Sadiq.

Going to be a tough contest between Sadiq, Zak and George Galloway for London Mayor

 

[TSA321]

I voted for Sadiq.

Going to be a tough contest between Sadiq, Zak and George Galloway for London Mayor

I don't think George Galloway will be anywhere near the race, he'll just steal some voters from Labour here and there.

 

[s28]

Galloway said he would pull out if Diane Abbot was Labour candidate. I think Galloway may rejoin Labour party soon under Corbyn so he may withdraw in favour of Khan who was a Corbyn backer ?

 

[Strike Rate]

Just heard Sadiq Khan likely to face Zac Goldsmith (Brother of Jemima Khan)

 

[ElRaja]

I voted for Sadiq.

Going to be a tough contest between Sadiq, Zak and George Galloway for London Mayor

dont think so, goldsmith would win by a okayish margin over sadiq, and galloway wouldnt even count in the end. goldsmith would get the tori vote, the greeny non left liberal vote, grumpy blairites and the personality contest voters

 

[s28]

The Betting odds so far are showing Sadiq Khan as favourite. Zak Goldsmith second. Galloway 4th at 33-1. But Corbyn started as 200-1 so who's to say Galloway won't make a late run. London is different.

 

[TSA321]

Labour's Sadiq Khan on course to be the next Mayor of London, says poll

http://www.itv.com/news/london/2016...rse-to-be-the-next-mayor-of-london-says-poll/

 

[Markhor]

http://www.londonlive.co.uk/tv

Evening Standard hustings featuring all the Mayoral candidates live now.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

It will be interesting to see what effect, if any, Galloway has on this election. A quick look through his tweets and he seems to be criticising Khan more that Goldsmith - this makes sense I suppose given Galloway's votes will be coming from the left. Nevertheless, could he end up letting Goldsmith in through the back door?

 

[Robert]

The Betting odds so far are showing Sadiq Khan as favourite. Zak Goldsmith second. Galloway 4th at 33-1. But Corbyn started as 200-1 so who's to say Galloway won't make a late run. London is different.

I'll say it. Galloway is a noisy sideshow, as ever. Sadiq or Zac will be Major. But both are opposed to the LHR third runway, so I will probably vote for Caroline Pidgeon.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

Galloway is polling at less than 1%, the same as the BNP )

Khan is way ahead of Goldsmith and looks set to win.

 

[TSA321]

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/mar/16/zac-goldsmith-leaflet-british-indians-heirlooms

Zac Goldsmith criticised over leaflet aimed at British Indians

The Conservative candidate for London mayor, Zac Goldsmith, has been accused of a smear campaign against his Labour rival specifically targeted at minority ethnic voters warning them a vote for Sadiq Khan would put their family heirlooms at risk.

Leaflets sent out in Goldsmith’s name appeared to warn Indian voters in the city that a vote for Khan could put their family jewellery at risk.

It said Goldsmith would stand up for the British Indian community by getting police to focus on protecting family homes from burglary, whereas Khan’s party supported “a wealth tax on family jewellery”.

The leaflet, which the Guardian has seen, also said that Khan, the Labour candidate and current MP for Tooting, posed a risk for London’s future because he had not attended the UK welcome rally for Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, at Wembley stadium last year.

A spokesman for Goldsmith said he could not comment on campaign tactics but confirmed the leaflets had been approved.

He added: “Khan experimented with Corbyn and helped elect a Labour leadership who want a new tax on family heirlooms, including jewellery – if he is allowed to experiment with London from City Hall he represents a threat to the economic security of every family in our city.”

Gita Malhotra, a Londoner who lives in Newham, told the Guardian she was offended by the letter she had received from the Goldsmith campaign. “I got a letter in the post yesterday and it was clearly targeted and directly addressed to me,” she said.

“I’m a British Indian but I had a visceral reaction to this. I’m a Londoner, I’m 47, and this seemed divisive,” she said, adding: “It seemed as though he picked the brains of an adviser and has played on the anxieties of the south Asian community.”

She added the campaign literature “made assumptions on what British Indians cared about”.

Goldsmith has a strong relationship with Kingston Muslim Association in his constituency and has held surgeries for constituents at the local mosque.

Hashim Bhatti, a Tory councillor and Conservative Muslim Forum Member, told the Guardian: “I haven’t seen the literature at all but I firmly believe Londoners will pull together and vote for a new mayor based on their policies and merit but also in their ability to continue to make London a great city.”

In another case of the Goldsmith campaign targeting minority ethnic communities first reported on politics.co.uk, the Goldsmith campaign sent a letter to British Tamils living in London, also suggesting a vote for the Labour candidate could lead to a new “wealth tax on family jewellery”.

“As a government minister, Sadiq Khan did not use his position to speak about Sri Lanka or the concerns of the Tamil community in parliament. His party are beginning to adopt policies that will mean higher taxes on your family and your family’s heirlooms and belongings,” the leaflet states.

Uma Kumaran, a Labour party adviser who is Tamil, said the leaflets were “downright patronising”.

The Daily Sikh, a popular Sikh website, wrote that the campaign targeted at minority ethnic voters was a “disastrous move” by Goldsmith’s team.

The op-ed went on to say: “In what can only be described as an ill-informed and arrogant mailshot, Goldsmith’s team targeted the postal addresses of tens of thousands of Londoners of ‘Indian’ origin.

“For some bizarre reason, Goldsmith assumed all the 120,000 Sikhs were middle-class Hindus, running family businesses, concerned about burglaries and possessions whilst welcoming Modi’s UK visit last year.”

Previously, the word “radical” had been used to describe Khan’s policies in Goldsmith leaflets, which Khan objected to, saying the use of such language about a Muslim candidate was playing with fire.

The Muslim Council of Britain would not comment on the campaign but said: “When British Muslims take part in politics and in the democratic life of our country, they deserve to be treated fairly and not be subject to smears that they are somehow closet extremists … Sadiq Khan deserves to be scrutinised on his record and policies, not smears by insinuation.”

 

[Robert]

Zac Goldsmith criticised over leaflet aimed at British Indians

Zac wrote to me the other day, though not to my wife, curiously. The Tories are very good at harvesting data from our spending patterns and social media use. They must think Mrs R is for Sadiq and I'm a swing voter.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

This election is turning a bit nasty. Labour member and Sadiq Khan supporter Sunny Hundal writing in the Independent.

Zac Goldsmith's relationship with 'Taliban apologist' Imran Khan raises big problems for the would-be Mayor
The Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician has endorsed Goldsmith, but he's not a figure the Richmond MP should want to be associated with at the ballot box

Imagine the furore if a candidate for Mayor of London praised someone who openly defends the Taliban. Imagine a candidate openly campaigning with a man who has been labelled an “apologist” for the Taliban because, after visiting Malala Yousafzai, in hospital, he said those who are fighting against foreign occupation in Afghanistan are fighting a holy war.

That candidate is Zac Goldsmith, and his alliance with Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, his former brother-in-law, should raise serious questions about his judgement ahead of May’s vote.

Goldsmith’s kinship with Khan shows the lengths he will go to pander to the Asian vote. More than that, it is an expression of deep hypocrisy given the attacks he has landed on Sadiq Khan, his opponent, as a “radical” and “divisive” figure.

A few weeks ago, on 23 March, Imran Khan sent out multiple tweets in support of Zac Goldsmith, urging Londoners to support him for Mayor. Goldsmith thanked Khan for his support on the same day. It was a public expression of a friendship and political alliance going back years, with both parties repeatedly endorsing and bestowing credibility on the other.

In 2010, it was reported that Imran Khan had visited Goldsmith’s Surrey constituency and told local voters gathered at the mosque that he was “he was supporting Mr Goldsmith’s campaign because he had all of the qualities to become an excellent MP.”

I doubted it was the first time Khan had visited the mosque and told Muslims to support the Richmond MP, but when I asked Goldsmith’s campaign for details of exactly how many times Khan had visited the constituency to lend his support, I got no reply.

I also asked whether the candidate for Mayor of London was aware of Khan’s views on the Taliban. They are very public views, after all. Again, I got no reply. But Khan’s approach to the Taliban is relevant to London and its communities, and raises questions about Goldsmith’s decision to align himself to the man.

On December 16th 2014, the Pakistani Taliban massacred more than 130 children at a school in Peshawar. It was neither the first time the group had targeted children, nor its first terror attack. On 28th March, just a fortnight ago, the suicide bomber attack in Lahore aimed at Christians and children was claimed by a Taliban splinter group.

Khan has been accused of mainstreaming the Taliban by continually pushing the government to talk to the terrorist group. As far back as 2012, one Pakistani commentator wrote: “Imran Khan truly believes that the Pakistani Taliban have a legitimate cause and that they are people with whom negotiation, dialogue and compromise is a possibility. … the Pakistani Taliban is the most backward, savage, cruel and downright despicable group of fighters in the world today.”

In the days after Malala Yousafzai was attacked, Khan reportedly refused to pin the blame on the terrorist group even though it had claimed responsibility.

Blaming Western intervention and American drone attacks has always been a convenient excuse for those in Pakistan who want to see the Taliban legitimised. But when the Taliban was eventually persuaded to peace talks, its first demand was that Pakistan shred its constitution and install a version of Shariah law across the country. It wanted its own Caliphate. This wasn’t about American intervention in Pakistan, it was a naked bid for power. And it also wanted Imran Khan to represent them during talks.

In the middle of all this is Zac Goldsmith, a keen follower of Pakistani politics. So keen, in fact, that he told a Pakistani newspaper – just months after the Taliban attack on the Peshawar school – that Imran Khan should be the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

“Zac Goldsmith says Imran is answer to Pakistan’s problems,” reports the Pakistani press. Khan is not the answer to Pakistan’s problems any more than Goldsmith is the answer to London’s. Goldsmith, after all, will say anything to say whatever his voters want to hear - whether Sikh, Hindu or Muslim - to get himself elected.

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices...s-big-problems-for-the-would-be-a6978781.html

 

[Gabbar Singh]

The tweets mentioned in the above piece.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">2/2 Zac is a man of integrity with a commitment to justice. He has the leadership capabilities to make a great mayor <a href="https://t.co/WkKW7FNKr2">pic.twitter.com/WkKW7FNKr2</a></p>— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/712620102718529536">23 March 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Very grateful to <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI">@ImranKhanPTI</a>, a tireless campaigner and a man of huge integrity, for his kind words. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BackZac2016?src=hash">#BackZac2016</a> <a href="https://t.co/zSV6ZRzVw4">pic.twitter.com/zSV6ZRzVw4</a></p>— Zac Goldsmith (@ZacGoldsmith) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZacGoldsmith/status/712754367837904896">23 March 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Markhor]

This has been one of the dirtiest campaigns in British election history. Its not that I'm a big Sadiq Khan supporter given his flip flopping on policies but Goldsmith should just come out and say you shouldn't vote for the Muslim candidate and be done with it instead of hiding behind coded language or trying to dig up stuff from Khan's past.

The Goldsmith campaign have sent out leaflets telling the British Indian community that the family jewellery will be unsafe with Khan (the Pakistani) and according to what I've read those leaflets have been selectively distributed to Londoners with surnames like Singh and Sharma. Also why bring Narendra Modi into a campaign for the London mayoralty ?

Not only is Goldsmith continually calling Khan "radical and divisive" but says things like "I am up against somebody who poses a real danger to London. I’m absolutely convinced of it" which in a post-Paris/post-Brussels environment has obvious connotations.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Good to see Britain following in the footsteps of the USA and the Trump fiasco. I think that campaign bombed when Trump slipped from the racial campaign to have a go at women. His vote count started diving pretty dramatically after that. I'm wondering if the Islamophobe slurs on Khan might also be starting to backfire somewhat. Brits aren't as comfortable with open bigotry as the Americans.

 

[JaDed]

Sadiq knows he will easily get the Muslim votes,Goldsmith was an idiot if he tried to make his intentions that obvious ,should had rather gone to Gurudwaras and temples and be hailed a great man like Justin Trudeaux.

 

[Yossarian]

Sadiq knows he will easily get the Muslim votes,Goldsmith was an idiot if he tried to make his intentions that obvious ,should had rather gone to Gurudwaras and temples and be hailed a great man like Justin Trudeaux.

He won't get mine! But that may be influenced by the fact that I live outside London and am not not entitled to vote in the London mayoral election. Although, I doubt I would have voted for Sadiq Khan anyway even if I was allowed to vote.

 

[JaDed]

He won't get mine! But that may be influenced by the fact that I live outside London and am not not entitled to vote in the London mayoral election. Although, I doubt I would have voted for Sadiq Khan anyway even if I was allowed to vote.

Good on you.

 

[Romali_rotti]

Good to see Pakistani Muslims stepping up to take part in their country's future in a responsible manner.

This, finally got to agree with Cap.. So far from what I have seen a lot of British Pakistanis have been a disappointment..

 

[Eagle_Eye]

Sadiq knows he will easily get the Muslim votes,Goldsmith was an idiot if he tried to make his intentions that obvious ,should had rather gone to Gurudwaras and temples and be hailed a great man like Justin Trudeaux.

You are assuming like goldsmith team there is room for old divide and rule thing to work. Goldsmith has been ridiculed by the Hindu and Sikh communities for this patronising approach.

Funny enough, I think goldsmith is a good candidate and had he not been up against Sadiq, probably would have voted for him.

I will vote for Sadiq because he is a normal guy and understand the needs and frustration of Londoners. I drop my son off to nursery close to his residence, and I quite often see him queue up waiting at a bus stop going to work.

 

[Evi1]

Sadiq knows he will easily get the Muslim votes,Goldsmith was an idiot if he tried to make his intentions that obvious ,should had rather gone to Gurudwaras and temples and be hailed a great man like Justin Trudeaux.

He may get the guaranteed Muslim votes, but not necessarily the minority votes which include Hindu, Sikhs and Blacks. Reason being, there's a lot of unspoken Islamophobia (and disdain for Pakistanis).

Zac being a likable guy with pleasant personality makes it easier for him to score points with minority, and definitely with the white working class voters.

 

[JaDed]

You are assuming like goldsmith team there is room for old divide and rule thing to work. Goldsmith has been ridiculed by the Hindu and Sikh communities for this patronising approach.

Funny enough, I think goldsmith is a good candidate and had he not been up against Sadiq, probably would have voted for him.

I will vote for Sadiq because he is a normal guy and understand the needs and frustration of Londoners. I drop my son off to nursery close to his residence, and I quite often see him queue up waiting at a bus stop going to work.

Goldsmith defn should be for being such a dumb a politician also Sorry that line doesn't prove Sadiq would be great at being a Mayor.

 

[JaDed]

He may get the guaranteed Muslim votes, but not necessarily the minority votes which include Hindu, Sikhs and Blacks. Reason being, there's a lot of unspoken Islamophobia (and disdain for Pakistanis).

Zac being a likable guy with pleasant personality makes it easier for him to score points with minority, and definitely with the white working class voters.

I meant the Muslim votes only also Zac can't be a pleasant guy if he is making all those allegations and being a complete tool here.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/apr/12/zac-goldsmith-accuses-rival-sadiq-khan-of-giving-cover-to-extremists

Sadiq Khan was a politician who had “given platforms, oxygen and even cover – over and over and over again – to those who seek to do our police and capital harm”.

 

[Evi1]

I meant the Muslim votes only also Zac can't be a pleasant guy if he is making all those allegations and being a complete tool here.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/apr/12/zac-goldsmith-accuses-rival-sadiq-khan-of-giving-cover-to-extremists

The sad reality is, there is now more of an awareness, sense of shame and acknowledgment of home grown extremism and terrorism, that he'll almost get away with it. It wasn't like that post 9/11 or even after 7/7. Muslims never acknowledged the problem.

It's just a coded way of saying Muslims haven't done enough to fix the issue of home grown extremism.

 

[Markhor]

Funny enough, I think goldsmith is a good candidate and had he not been up against Sadiq, probably would have voted for him.

I'm not a Tory but I respected Goldsmith as being one of the more centrist, sensible Tories and liked his campaign for a Recall bill that would allow constituents to "sack" their local MP if they commit wrongdoing.

However his campaign bears the grubby fingerprints of Lynton Crosby and his acolytes who've specialised all over the world in negative, dog whistle campaigning. Its regrettable that out of desperation Goldsmith has resorted to these smear tactics about Sadiq's past and background instead of focusing on the issues.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

The bookies now make Khan a 1/7 favourite to win. i.e. - that's an implied probability of 87.50%.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

Sadiq Khan does a Jack Straw.

Sadiq Khan says there is 'question to be asked' about use of hijabs in London

Sadiq Khan, the Labour candidate for London mayor, has said there is “a question to be asked” about why some Muslim women in the capital wear hijabs and niqabs.

Khan, who became the first Muslim cabinet minister in Gordon Brown’s government in 2009, warned of an “insidious” development if people thought it was right to treat women differently to men.

In an interview with the London Evening Standard, the frontrunner in next month’s mayoral contest contrasted the way Muslim women dressed when he was growing up in London in the 1970s and 80s with the way many women dressed today.

Conservative comes unstuck after trying to tarnish Labour rival by association with ‘extremist’ Muslims

Khan, 45, said: “When I was younger you didn’t see people in hijabs and niqabs, not even in Pakistan when I visited my family. In London we got on. People dressed the same. What you see now are people born and raised here who are choosing to wear the jilbab [a loose gown] or niqab.

“There is a question to be asked about what is going on in those homes. What’s insidious is if people are starting to think it is appropriate to treat women differently or that it has been forced on them. What worries me is children being forced to adopt a lifestyle.”

Khan suggested Muslim women should think about whether to wear the niqab, which covers the face, when they interacted with providers of public services. Asked whether women should be allowed to cover their faces, he said: “It’s not for me to tell women what to wear. But I do think that in public service we should be able to see each other’s faces. Eye contact matters. You should be able to see the face.”

He added: “There is no other city in the world where I would want to raise my daughters than London. They have rights, they have protection, the right to wear what they like, think what they like, to meet who they like, to study what they like, more than they would in any other country.”

http://www.theguardian.com/politics...uestion-to-be-asked-about-hijabs-veils-london

 

[keyser]

Sadiq Khan does a Jack Straw.



http://www.theguardian.com/politics...uestion-to-be-asked-about-hijabs-veils-london

Wow very brave comments he should be commended for. Hopefully he doesn't get attacked physically for pointing this out.

I mentioned in the brit pak thread that I saw less niqabs in Pakistan than England and it's good to know the future mayor is in agreement with me.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

Khan is now miles ahead in every opinion poll so it's hard to see anything but a resounding victory for him on Thursday.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

Meanwhile George Galloway is currently polling at 0 per cent.

http://indy100.independent.co.uk/ar...r-cent-in-the-london-mayoral-race--Wk_I703Pbb

 

[Gabbar Singh]

What about Sadiq Khan vs Sajid Javid in 2025?

Sadiq Khan never loses - and if he triumphs in London he could become Britain's first Muslim Prime Minister
It’s easy now, given his poll lead against Zac Goldsmith, to pretend that he was always the favourite, given London’s leftish leanings. But if you go back to the moment he beat Tessa, I can assure you that the feeling in Westminster was that Zac just about had the edge


He never loses.

This, I promise, is not a “told you so” piece, because as you know I don’t go in for those. But – and you knew there was a ‘but’ coming – last year I wrote a profile of Sadiq Khan for Politico Europe, in which I suggested that he was under-rated as a political talent, and pointed out that his stunning record made him possibly the most effective Labour figure of his generation.

It’s looking that way now. Never mind the stuff about being the first Muslim to attend Cabinet, or the smart evocation of his lawyerly past in his pitch to be London’s ‘advocate’. Just look at the victories he has chalked up. Of his last four, at least three have been very much against the odds, and arguably all four.

David Miliband was favourite for the Labour leadership back in 2010. Then Ed Miliband appointed Sadiq as his campaign manager. The younger Miliband won.

At last year’s General Election, Labour (and Ed Miliband) went down to a shock defeat – at least a shock to those of us who were such mugs that we believed the opinion pollsters. The party was hammered nationally, but in London it actually increased its control of the city, going up to 45 of 73 constituencies. Who was in charge of Labour’s campaign in London? Sadiq.

Everyone expected Tessa Jowell to be the Labour candidate for Mayor. She was the Establishment choice, with formidable connections, experience, and talent. Sadiq defeated her.

It’s easy now, given his poll lead against Zac Goldsmith, to pretend that he was always the favourite, given London’s leftish leanings. But if you go back to the moment he beat Tessa, I can assure you that the feeling in Westminster was that Zac just about had the edge. After all, he had the might of the Conservative Party behind him.

Alas for him, Sadiq is a proven winner. This is why one of his closest aides told me, for that profile, “He never loses”.

Sadiq hasn’t won yet. Polls – as all of us in this game should never forget – offer unreliable snapshots, not reliable forecasts. But if he does win, you have to grant that he has notched up another hugely impressive victory in a party that has re-acquainted itself with the habit of losing.

It’s often argued that the Mayor of London is the next Prime Minister. Of Boris Johnson this can be said with increasing confidence, given the chances of Britain leaving the EU are growing. Might it also one day – one day soon – be said of Sadiq?

Isn’t it eminently possible to imagine a scenario where Labour, ripped asunder by an insoluble civil war, turn after a thumping General Election defeat under Comrade Corbyn in 2020 to their one proven winner?

It is, in which case Sadiq might not be noted by posterity simply for his becoming the first Muslim Mayor of a big Western city. In the coming years expect to read profiles aplenty, some of them written by me, about the man who could be Britain’s first Muslim Prime Minister.

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices...-be-britains-first-muslim-prime-a7011376.html

 

[s28]

Both are lightweights

If I had a pound for all the 'first black PM' type stories...

 

[Robert]

Wow very brave comments he should be commended for. Hopefully he doesn't get attacked physically for pointing this out.

I mentioned in the brit pak thread that I saw less niqabs in Pakistan than England and it's good to know the future mayor is in agreement with me.

Good for Sadiq. I am now slightly more likely to vote for him than I was yesterday.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

George playing the Israel card......for the umpteenth time.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A new war on Gaza has begun this evening. Khan will blame the Palestinians. I stand with Gaza. I always will. <a href="https://t.co/MVhyhdbrUr">pic.twitter.com/MVhyhdbrUr</a></p>— George Galloway (@georgegalloway) <a href="https://twitter.com/georgegalloway/status/727983569709219841">4 May 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[TSA321]

What about Sadiq Khan vs Sajid Javid in 2025?

If he does win then he'd prob be Mayor until 2024, so there's no chance of him leading Labour by 2025.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

Khan ahead comfortably in the votes counted so far.

https://londonelects.org.uk/im-voter/election-results/live-count-progress-2016?contest=23

 

[Gabbar Singh]

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Wow very brave comments he should be commended for. Hopefully he doesn't get attacked physically for pointing this out.

I mentioned in the brit pak thread that I saw less niqabs in Pakistan than England and it's good to know the future mayor is in agreement with me.

His comments are aimed at the vote base which is still overwhelmingly white. You will see similar remarks from many politicians around election time, then the issue will be quietly dropped.

In any case, was he physically attacked as you suggested he may be? I haven't read any news of it so I assume not.

 

[Markhor]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2016-36206505

Senior Tory unimpressed by Goldsmith's smear campaign, and judging by the latest results Londoners are too.

Conservative London politician Andrew Boff criticised the party's mayoral campaign for seeking to link Mr Khan to "extremists".

"I was supportive of the whole campaign apart from one element and that one was where it seemed to attribute radical tendencies to people of orthodox religious views.

"I think that is a complete misunderstanding of the patchwork of faiths there are in London, and has the potential to alienate people."

 

[IAJ]

So when will the winner be announced?

 

[godzilla]

if zac loses because of this atrocious campaign, good. theres been a number of tory reports that its out of character for him, which is all the more disturbing - that seems to suggest the vile xenophobic hate policy exists at a policy level through the whole party.

theresa may, and the rest of this government's appalling divisive and hate promoting policies have pushed many lifelong tories like me into defecting. i voted for sadiq, as much as a slimy, unprincipled, opportunistic sell out as i think he is - its still a better proposition than zac after his campaign.

the problem i face, as do many others, is that i cant think of any party that holds a balanced set of sensible principles. i like corbyns social philosophy, but his economic ones are puerile and fatal for the country. i like the economic policies of the tories (relatively speaking), but their social philosophy is bordering on extreme right wing and is repulsive.

 

[Markhor]

So when will the winner be announced?

Any time between 6.30pm-1am according to one City Hall spokesman.