Sadiq Khan says Trump doesn’t deserve UK’s ‘state visit’

Says Theresa May holding early elections out of political greed; hopes Zac Goldsmith will lose for the third time in one year; terrorism a common threat for ‘our generation’

LONDON: Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, has said that British Prime Minister Theresa May should withdraw state visit invitation to American President Donald Trump over his extremely hostile views on Muslims and immigrants.

In an exclusive interview with Geo News here at the opening of a local business in his home constituency of Tooting, the London Mayor said that Donald Trumps stands against American and British values of tolerance, humanity and goodwill.

“There is no need to invite Donlad on state visit. His policies on Muslims and refugees are dangerous for the world. We hold America as beacon of tolerance, many of us have American friends, and historically America is a great country which has welcomed immigrants. We will be sending out a worrying signal to the world if we roll out red carpet to him. Of course we should have a good relation with the world.” He advised Theresa May to be courageous and tell Donald Trump that ban on Muslims and refugees is wrong.   

PTI leader Imran Khan’s brother-in-law Zac Goldsmith, who lost to Sadiq Khan last year, has announced to stand up on Tory ticket from the Richmond Park constituency but Sadiq Khan called Zac an “extremist” who believes in “divisive politics”.

The London Mayor said: “If you are in Richmond Park and if u don’t want an extreme Brexit MP. You don’t want an MP that campaigns in divisive politics you can vote for Zac Goldsmith, you have to vote for the labour MP. In the last 12 months, he has lost two elections and I hope he loses the third one too.”

Sadiq Khan criticised Prime Minister May for calling snap general elections. “General elections should have been held in 2020.

There was no reason for these elections to be called at an earlier date as there are three years to go for the elections. She (Theresa May) knows we are behind. Her intention is to get landslide through these polls. She wants bigger victory so she can negotiate an extreme hard Brexit. The consequences for such a scenario will be loss of jobs, loss of opportunities and loss of growth. We stand for social justice, for our NHS and for welfare of all and for a strong European Union,” said London Mayor, urging voters to vote Labour.

Sadiq Khan was voted in as the London Mayor almost a year ago after a tough battle which saw him being smeared openly in national media and public discourse. “I remember that. Nobody thought that I will become the mayor of London, the world’s greatest city . My detractors said that its impossible for someone like me to become the London mayor, coming from Muslim, Pakistani and humble background.  Then I won the elections and in the last 12 months we have been delivering on our promises: freezing the Transport for London fares, initiating night tubes, supporting small businesses to open up, keeping our cities safe in the face of terrorism, bringing people together as Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jews, Christens live together in London and share common values.”

He said that Londoners have been worried after the Brexit referendum and he has been trying his best to restore faith of common people. “With the Brexit vote, people have been worried about jobs and recession. I have spent time talking to businesses to keep London the greatest city in the world.”

Talking about terrorism threat in London and recent terror arrests in the heart of London, Sadiq Khan, who is responsible for the policing of London, said that unfortunately terrorism is a reality “for our generation”. He said that attacks in New York, Paris, Berlin, Istanbul and Pakistan show how much damage they are causing. We should be vigilant and never be complacent. Our police services are fantastic and they are working very hard. They need our cooperation and our help. If anyone has information on anything suspicious then please tell the police. During 07/07 terror attacks in London, those who were killed included Muslims, Jews, Christians, and others. Terrorism in threat to all. Innocent children, men and women are the victims of terrorism all around the world. Our duty is to work with the police and security services to keep us safe.”He paid tribute to London’s police services for doing a fantastic job by keeping Londoners safe.