London Mayor Sadiq Khan hailed the city’s diversity and unity in response to the victory of Donald Trump in Tuesday’s US Presidential Election.
The former President gained the necessary 270 seats to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris, with several states left to be declared, as of the time of writing.
In a statement, Mayor Khan reassured Londoners that the city ‘is and will always be for everyone’, asserting that the city will remain pro-women, pro-diversity, pro-climate and pro-human rights.
Khan said: “London is a place where we’re proud of our diversity, proud of the contribution of all our communities and proud of our spirit of unity.
“These are some of the values that will continue to bind us together as Londoners.”
In the statement, Khan reassured Londoners of any anxieties they may feel about Trump’s victory, reaffirming the need to push progressive values.
Khan said: “The lesson of today is that progress is not inevitable.
“But asserting our progressive values is more important than ever – re-committing to building a world where racism and hatred is rejected, the fundamental rights of women and girls are upheld, and where we continue to tackle the crisis of climate change head on.”
This is the latest development of tensions between Khan and Trump, which began in 2015 when the London Mayor condemned the then Presidential hopeful’s suggestion that Muslims should be banned from travelling to the US.
In 2017, then-President Trump criticised Khan’s response to the London Bridge terror attack.
When Trump visited the UK in 2018, Sadiq Khan gave protestors permission to fly an inflatable “Trump baby” blimp in the city.
Khan’s comments highlight the divisions in the Labour Party in relation to Trump, with some refusing to back the President-elect.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer congratulated Trump, committing to work together to maintain the special relationship between the two countries, but many MPs have not followed suit.
In contrast, speaking to BBC Radio 4’s ‘Today’ programme, MP for Islington South and Finsbury and former Labour frontbencher Emily Thornberry declined to backtrack on her previous comments that Trump was a ‘racist, sexist predator’.
She said: “Well he is, but he’s also president of the US.”
Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey slammed Trump’s victory, describing it as a ‘dark, dark day’ for the world.
Featured image credit to the Scottish government, under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic Licence
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