London mayor Sadiq Khan hits back at Trump as feud renews
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Mayor Sadiq Khan, of the centre-left Labour Party, and the Republican Trump have traded insults for years.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – London mayor Sadiq Khan called Mr Donald Trump “Islamophobic” and “racist” on Sept 24 after the US President appeared to suggest the British politician wanted to introduce syariah law in Britain’s capital city.
Mr Khan, of the centre-left Labour Party, and the Republican Trump have traded insults for years, with the latest row stemming from comments the President made at the United Nations this week.
“I think President Trump has shown he is racist, he is sexist, he is misogynistic and he is Islamophobic,” the Mayor of London told Sky News.
During his speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on Sept 23, Mr Trump said: “I look at London, where you have a terrible mayor, terrible, terrible mayor, and it’s been changed, it’s been so changed.
“Now they want to go to syariah law. But you are in a different country, you can’t do that,” he added, referring to the Islamic law code based on the teachings of the Quran.
Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer has made a considerable effort to try to stay in Mr Trump’s good books, including with an unprecedented second state visit to Britain last week.
Mr Khan said London was top of many indicators such as foreign investment, adding he was “really proud that we are the greatest city in the world”.
Earlier on Sept 24, government minister Pat McFadden said Mr Trump was “misreading” London.
Mr Khan, who is Muslim, has been London’s mayor since 2016. That year he criticised Mr Trump over the then-presidential hopeful’s proposed travel ban for people from some Muslim-majority countries.
Before Mr Trump’s first state visit in 2019, Mr Khan likened him to “European dictators of the 1930s and 40s”.
Mr Trump has called Mr Khan a “stone-cold loser” and previously challenged him to an IQ test.
“I think I’ve got squatters’ rights for the amount of time I’ve spent in Donald Trump’s head,” Mr Khan told ITV London on Sept 24.
“I’m just hoping he doesn’t send me an invoice for all the time I’ve spent there.” AFP
