London Elects First Muslim Mayor, Sadiq Khan

London became the first major Western capital to elect a Muslim mayor on Friday as Labour claimed victory for its candidate Sadiq Khan despite setbacks elsewhere in Britain for the main national opposition party....


Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn hailed Khan’s win over Conservative Zac Goldsmith, after a bitter campaign in which Prime Minister David Cameron sought to link Khan to Islamic extremists.

“Congratulations Sadiq Khan. Can’t wait to work with you to create a London that is fair for all!” Corbyn wrote on Twitter ahead of the publication of final results.

The race to replace the charismatic Conservative Boris Johnson pitched Khan, the son of a bus driver and a seamstress who emigrated from Pakistan in the 1960s, against Goldsmith, whose father was a wealthy tycoon.

Khan’s victory offered some cheer for Corbyn after Labour’s performance in elections across Britain in the wake of a row over anti-Semitism in the party failed to dispel questions over the veteran socialist’s leadership.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio was among the first to tweet his congratulations to “fellow affordable housing advocate, @SadiqKhan. Look forward to working together!”

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo added on Twitter that Khan’s “humanity, progressivism will benefit Londoners.”

There was no immediate reaction from Goldsmith, although his sister Jemima, the ex-wife of Pakistani cricketer and politician Imran Khan, said Khan’s victory was a “great example to young Muslims”.

In reference to the negative tone of the race, she said her brother’s campaign “did not reflect who I know him to be — an eco friendly, independent-minded politician with integrity”.

The victory was also hailed in Tooting, a multi-ethnic area of south London where Khan lives.

“Sadiq Khan will have a unifying factor because he is Muslim, an immigrant, he is from working class, so he understands the working class people and he can associate with them,” said Shahzad Saddiqui, a local businessman