The Mayor made the stark admission on social media this afternoon (September 26)
Sir Sadiq Khan has said he is “deeply concerned” by the rise of racist attacks in London. The Mayor, who recently confirmed he will run for a fourth term, issued the stark admission on social media this afternoon as tensions simmer across the UK.
It comes a fortnight after around 150,000 protestors took to the capital’s streets for the Unite the Kingdom rally, an event many feel was inherently xenophobic. In a statement, Mr Khan said: “From the TfL workers being punched and racially abused to women who were chased down the street – I’m deeply concerned about the alarming rise of racist attacks in our capital city.
“We are also seeing appalling incidents elsewhere in the country – some of which have included abhorrent violence towards children. These incidents illustrate the dangers of allowing racism to be normalised and mainstreamed. Real lives and personal safety are under threat.”
He then reaffirmed his stance to “speak out” against racial inequalities and injustices, as well as supporting organisations that “bring people together”. He added: “London is a successful, liberal and multicultural city. The greatest in the world. It will always be for everyone and I promise you: that will never change.”
The divisive politician routinely suffers racial and Islamophobic abuse on social media, and has disabled the ability for users to respond to his posts on X, formerly known as Twitter. However, there is no more high-profile troll than US President Donald Trump, with whom the Mayor has a long-standing feud.
Mr Trump most has suggested London was set to introduce Sharia Law, Islam’s legal system, under the Mayor’s watch. Mr Khan himself has been accused by the Liberal Democrats of failing to take action on Islamophobia within the city, after dedicating ÂŁ875,000 to help “fight extremism and stand up to hate”.
The investment will be spread between more than 20 grassroots organisations, including the Anne Frank Trust UK and the West Ham United Foundation. The Mayor of London said then that residents in the capital are “living in increasingly divisive and uncertain times”, despite a recent fall in hate crimes recorded by police.
Between August 2024 and July 2025, there were 21,284 incidents recorded – down from 25,361 in the 12 months prior.
‘A small minority not happy with Labour Party leadership’ – Khan
Sir Sadiq has also claimed there is minor dismay amongst MPs regarding Keir Starmer’s leadership of the Labour Party. He made the assertion whilst defending Andy Burnham’s right to raise his “legitimate concerns”.
The mayor of Greater Manchester, made a series of headline-grabbing interventions earlier this week, which have been widely seen as a pitch for a future bid for leadership of the Labour Party. Mr Burnham said it was up to Labour MPs to decide if they needed a new leader, claiming some had privately been “in touch with me”.
Speaking on an LBC phone-in show today, Mr Khan said: “I think Andy’s raising legitimate concerns he has, and, you know, he’s entitled to do so.”
Asked by presenter James O’Brien whether Mr Burnham was going further than that and manoeuvring for leadership of the Labour Party, Mr Khan said that was “your characterisation”.
He added: “I think we’ve got 400 MPs, so it won’t be a surprise to anybody that there may be a small minority not happy with the leadership. I’m going to conference next week, and the joy of conference when Labour is in Government far outweighs any concerns people may have.”
A source close to Mr Khan said he had not been commenting on whether he thought Mr Burnham’s concerns were legitimate, but saying he had a right to raise something if he felt he had legitimate concerns.
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