Sadiq Khan launched a furious attack on Donald Trump today and accused the “ignorant” billionaire of fuelling extremism with his anti-Muslim comments.
The new Mayor of London used his emphatic victory to deliver a powerful public rebuke to the New York Republican vying to become US president.
He said Trump was making both Britain and America “less safe” and playing “into the hands of the extremists”.
The clash was sparked when Mr Trump declared he may make London’s new Mayor an “exception” to his proposed ban on Muslims entering the United States.
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Mr Khan replied with a brutal slap-down that carried all the weight of his mandate from Londoners.
The Mayor told the Evening Standard: “Donald Trump’s ignorant view of Islam could make both our countries less safe - it risks alienating mainstream Muslims around the world and plays into the hands of the extremists.
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“This isn’t just about me - it’s about my friends, my family and everyone who comes from a background similar to mine, anywhere in the world.
“Donald Trump and those around him think that western liberal values are incompatible with mainstream Islam - London has proved him wrong."
Trump thinks western liberal values are incompatible with mainstream Islam - London has proved him wrong
Despite outrage at his stance, which he adopted following last year’s Paris attacks that left 130 people dead, Mr Trump has refused to soften it.
Giving his first reaction to the election of a Muslim as leader of the world’s greatest city, the tycoon said: “There will always be exceptions.”
On the London elections results, he said: “I was happy to see that,” adding: “I think it’s a very good thing…you lead by example, always lead by example. If he does a good job and frankly if he does a great job, that would be a terrific thing.”
Labour MPs condemned Trump’s overnight comments as “offensive posturing” and “frankly ridiculous”.
Tulip Siddiq, the MP for Hampstead & Kilburn, said “Donald Trump’s proposal to temporarily ban all Muslims from the United States has proven to be as farcical in practice, as it is dangerous in the message it sends out.
“The election of Sadiq Khan was a very British triumph over the kind of hate Trump espouses. The indiscriminate way in which Trump demonises Muslims is as offensive as it is ludicrous.”
The Muslim MP added: “He better start preparing to make further exceptions, as he will soon realise Britain has more than one senior Muslim politician.”
Former mayoral candidate David Lammy raged: “Donald Trump’s offensive posturing is an embarrassment to a great nation.
“London is a global city and I’m sure that Sadiq will be engaging with US Mayors.
“The politics of division and prejudice didn’t work here in London and it would be a tragedy if Trump’s particularly toxic brand of politics won out in America later this year.”
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Rupa Huq, MP for Ealing Central & Acton, scorned: “Donald Trump saying he is prepared to make an ‘exception’ for the mayor of the greatest city on earth just shows how frankly ridiculous as well as divisive, ill-thought through and unworkable this man’s policies are.”
Soon after his victory, Mr Khan indicated he planned to travel to the United States to see first hand some of the programmes that US mayors were implementing in cities like New York and Chicago.
But he told Time magazine: “If Donald Trump becomes the president I’ll be stopped from going there by virtue of my faith, which means I can’t engage with American mayors and swap ideas.”
Responding to Trump’s latest comments, senior Tory AM Andrew Boff said: “The threat to world peace of a Trump victory makes a US tour by the Mayor superfluous. He should be here building bomb shelters.”
Green Assembly member Sian Berry, who stood against Mr Khan for the mayoralty, added: “I hope our new Mayor would not think of visiting America, even as an exception, under conditions where anyone was banned by reason of their faith alone.
“Donald Trump has really crossed the line with this proposal, and with his refusal to recognise how wrong and appalling it is.
“His racist and xenophobic campaign should suffer the same fate as others. Londoners and Americans alike are not the kind of people to accept racism and discrimination.”