Sadiq Khan: 'My daughters are scared for the first time'

In brief...

• London Mayor Sadiq Khan discusses the impact from rising racism and Islamophobia in the UK.
• He also commended Londoners and police for their response to hate marches.
• He criticised the spread of disinformation and the blaming of migrants for societal issues, advocating for more inclusive policies and recognising London's diversity as a source of strength.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has told The News Agents about the personal impact the racist, Islamophobic violence in the UK has had on him and his family, while praising the response of communities and police in tackling the riots.

On Wednesday night, the London town of Walthamstow was braced for an influx of far-right thugs, following similar gatherings in Middlesbrough, Rotherham, Sunderland and more, after plans were shared on social media.

Instead, Walthamstow streets were flooded with anti-fascist protesters in their thousands.

Khan tells Jon Sopel of his pride for both the people of London, and the police who have worked to keep streets safe amid horrendous unrest.

"I'm proud of Londoners who, yesterday, united in standing up against racism, Islamophobia, and came out in huge numbers to show the far right that here in London we're united," he says.

But he says that the violence witnessed in the UK since the murder of three young girls in Southport, and the misinformation about the killer's identity which sparked the riots, has left him heartbroken, as a proud Muslim.

"What broke my heart was my daughters being scared for the first time ever because of the colour of their skin and because they're visible Muslims," he says.

"I went through that, with the National Front, the British National Party (BNP), and the most recent incarnation, the English Defence League (EDL), but I thought I'd be the last generation who would get that sort of stuff, because my kids couldn't be more British, honestly, or English, or Londoners."

Earlier this week Scottish Muslim politician Humza Yousaf told The News Agents that the riots had left him considering leaving the UK due to the visible rise in racism.

"The conundrum Humza has, which my Jewish friends have, which I have, is where do we go?" Khan says.

"I'd go nowhere. I'm the first in three generations of Khans that is going nowhere. My grandparents migrated from India to Pakistan, my parents, from Pakistan to London.

"I'm staying here mate."

Khan also hit back at suggestions that there was a state of 'two-tier policing' when it came to the recent UK riots, with police acting forcefully against violence gangs of thugs, saying this claim was simply to "engender a sense of grievance" from people such as Tommy Robinson and Nigel Farage.

"If you were to speak to the women who were policed in an appalling manner at Clapham Common during the [Sarah Everard] vigil – they will also say there's two tier policing," Khan says.

"You speak to many black Londoners or black people across the country who are disproportionately stopped and searched – they would also say there's two tier policing. You speak to the families of the victims of Stephen Port, who killed four gay Londoners a few years ago, they would also complain about two tier police.

Khan addresses the Baroness Louise Casey report into the Metropolitan police, which he commissioned, which found London's Metropolitan Police to be institutionally racist, sexist and homophobic, and says that police forces across the UK are no different.

He pays tribute to the multiculturalism of London, and its tolerance and diversity, claiming he didn't become its mayor in 2016 because of his own "brilliance", he says it's because "Londoners have these values that means they can elect someone like me to be their mayor."

The disinformation and racism that has spread about migrants, leading to the recent riots, is, Khan says, "the oldest trick in the book", of blaming "the other" for society's problems.

"The reason why our schools are crumbling is not because of asylum seekers. The reason why it takes you so long to get an appointment with a GP is not because of asylum seekers or refugees," he says.

And he believes the UK should be attracting investment in the UK from overseas, not actively discouraging it.

"In fact, if we had more doctors from overseas fill in the short term problems, you'd probably get an appointment sooner.

"The issue that we've got to recognise as professional politicians is the fact that GDP going up makes no difference to you if your quality of life is going down, and we, as a profession, haven't always listened to the concerns people have."

Listen in full on The News Agents.