Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has strongly condemned Donald Trump after the US President used a speech at the United Nations to launch a scathing attack on the mayor of London.
Speaking on Wednesday, September 24, Khan accused Trump of being “racist” and “Islamophobic” following remarks in which the President described him as a “terrible terrible mayor” and claimed London wanted to “go to sharia law.”
“I think President Trump has shown he is racist, he is sexist, he is misogynistic, and he is Islamophobic,” Khan said. “When people say things, when people act in a certain way, when people behave in a certain way, you have got to believe them.”
Trump’s comments drew swift backlash from British politicians across the political spectrum. Labour MPs defended Khan, who is London’s first Muslim mayor, against what they described as inflammatory and baseless rhetoric.
Cabinet minister Pat McFadden said the President and the mayor had “had a beef for some years” but dismissed Trump’s remarks as detached from reality. Speaking at Crystal Palace football ground, he said: “I can assure you it is not Sharia law, it is British law that applies here.”
Ealing Central and Acton MP Rupa Huq called the comments “poppycock” and “complete cobblers,” while Rosena Allin Khan, the MP for Tooting, urged the Government to summon the US ambassador to the UK in protest.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting also defended the London mayor, saying: “Sadiq Khan is not trying to impose Sharia Law on London. This is a mayor who marches with Pride, who stands up for difference of background and opinion, who is focused on improving our transport, our air, our streets, our safety, our choices and chances. Proud he’s our mayor.”
A spokesperson for Khan said his office would not dignify Trump’s “appalling and bigoted comments” with a detailed response, adding: “London is the greatest city in the world, safer than major US cities, and we are delighted to welcome the record number of US citizens moving here.”
Trump’s visit to the UK last week included no public engagements in London, with his schedule limited to meetings with the King at Windsor and the Prime Minister at Chequers.
In his UN address, Trump warned that “Europe is in serious trouble” and accused the continent of being “invaded by a force of illegal aliens.” His claim about sharia law in London was echoed in part by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who argued the President “has a point” though he urged people not to take Trump’s words literally.
Farage said sharia law was “an issue in London” but “not an overwhelming issue,” and insisted Khan had no direct link to it. He framed Trump’s remarks as part of a wider warning about the West losing its “culture, heritage and identity,” citing examples from Stockholm and Germany.
