London Mayor Sadiq Khan says too busy to respond to Trump’s attacks

LONDON: Sadiq Khan – the city's mayor – has said he doesn’t have time to respond to US President Donald Trump's attacks on him on Twitter.

In an exclusive interview with Geo.tv, the Mayor of London stated that he is too busy serving the citizens and doesn’t have time to get involved with Trump, suggesting that the latter doesn’t seem to be concentrating on the job he has been elected to do.

Khan was attending an interfaith Iftar at the Archbishop’s house hosted by His Eminence Cardinal Nichols in partnership with the Naz Legacy Foundation. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis was also in attendance, alongside leaders of other faiths and students from many schools.

President Trump launched a scathing attack on Mayor Sadiq Khan after terror attacks swept through Borough Market and London Bridge on June 3.

"At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is "no reason to be alarmed!" Trump had written on Twitter. And just moments after he tweeted, the American president left the White House to play golf.

"Londoners will see an increased police presence today and over the course of the next few days. There's no reason to be alarmed," Khan had posted on Twitter.

Speaking to Geo.tv, Khan said that being a mayor is a full-time job. "[Trump] is sending me tweets and I don’t know why he is obsessed with me," he commented.

The mayor explained how he is busy helping those affected by the crises get back to their lives and helping commence reconstructive work in London. "I am trying to fix the housing crisis, making our city safe and transport affordable, and training our youngsters. […] People think that Donald Trump doesn’t have a full-time job, therefore, he is busy on Twitter.”

The fact that a senior Catholic priest had invited Muslims to open their fast with him was an example of how diverse and respecting London is to everyone, Khan highlighted.

“We have been invited to the Archbishop’s house for Iftar, [and the] Chief Rabbi is here as well. Muslim, Hindus, Sikhs and Jews are here. That’s why I say London is the greatest city on this earth because no matter what your faith is, you have a place and respect here," the mayor noted, stressing that those attempting "to divide us" will fail.

 

Speaking about the stunning gains the Labour Party made in the snap elections last week, the Mayor of London said it had worked hard, which is why he was hoping for it to win.

“We hoped that Jeremy Corbyn will be the prime minister but that didn’t happen. [However,] we made huge gains and our progress is there for all to see. Theresa May thought she was going to get a big landslide and she wanted to crush Labour, that’s why she called snap general elections. Look what happened, the Tories lost seats and we gained them.”

Nevertheless, Khan expressed confidence in Corbyn. He "is not the prime minister right now but I am confident that he will be when the next elections are held. There are 30 new MPs across the country now", he added.

The Labour Party bumped up its share of votes in London and snatched seats from the Tories, boosting its popularity across the capital. Khan said it was great that Labour in London gained four additional MPs, while many of the existing ones saw a rise in their majority votes.

“We had 45 MPs before, now we have 49. We have gained Kensington, Croydon Central, Battersea, Enfield, and Southgate and people called me insane (when I advocated campaigning in non-Labour areas) but guess who is having a laugh now!”