Sadiq Khan launches Mayor of London re-election bid

Speaking outside Hot Milk Café in Bounds Green the incumbent mayor promised to prioritise “jobs, jobs, jobs” to revitalise the capital post-pandemic.

The business, like many has been hit hard by the pandemic, but has been supported by City Hall grants and initiatives.

“We have had a dreadful year, but there’s finally some light at the end of the tunnel for Londoners”, Mr Khan said.

“We owe it to everyone who has lost their lives, to the key workers who have done so much to keep us safe, and to all those who have suffered to ensure we build an even better London after the pandemic.

“It’s clear from the Government’s budget that the Tories don’t have the ambition or the vision needed to do that.”

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan drinks a cup of coffee at his campaign launch. Photo: PA

Mr Khan described the Mayoral election on May 6 as a “two-horse race”.

However, the Labour candidate holds large lead over Tory rival Shaun Bailey in early polls.

When quizzed over whether he was worried voters would consider the race ‘boring’ and a foregone conclusion, Mr Khan said he believed voters would be keen show their support for his campaign’s ideas and policies “rather than personal attacks”.

Khan said the capital faced an uphill battle to emerge from the Covid crisis, evoking the Labour Government of 1945 which “rebuilt Britain from the ashes of war”.

“Like so many, I benefited from their work decades later as I grew up on a council estate and was given the opportunities to fulfil my potential and become Mayor of the greatest city on earth”, he said.

“That’s why jobs, jobs, jobs are a top priority for my second term. I want the Government to back this ambition with a jobs guarantee, creating opportunities for Londoners, particularly in the key industries of the future.”

Mr Khan also pledged to “relentlessly focus” on tackling air pollution, building new council homes and being tough crime and its causes.

He said he felt the results of the Violence Reduction Unit – set up in 2018 to mirror Glasgow’s public health approach to violent crime – was already providing tangible results but he was “not complacent” and that it would “take some time to see the generational shift seen in Glasgow”.

Mr Khan added: “I promise to continue standing up for London’s values, relentlessly bang the drum for London – both at home and abroad - to attract jobs and investment, and fight for the national investment we need in the face of the most anti-London Government in living memory. The Tory candidate doesn't share our values and he won't stand up for our city.”