Sadiq Khan: The Making of a Mayor

2017 | Biography

When Sadiq Khan was elected London mayor, his victory immediately became a global phenomenon. As the first Muslim leader of a major Western city, he symbolised the capital's diversity and pluralism. For the bus driver's son and council estate boy, it was the culmination of a remarkable journey. Throughout the mayoral campaign, Khan was attacked by his Conservative opponent Zac Goldsmith and Prime Minister David Cameron as an ally of Islamist extremists. Many believed that the Labour candidate would ultimately be defeated. But he withstood the charges to win by a landslide, achieving the largest personal mandate of any politician in UK history. Within days, he found himself at war with Donald Trump over his proposed ban on Muslims entering the US. The London mayor had become a truly international figure. A year on from Khan's election, this book will tell the story of his rise to City Hall. With full access to the mayor, it charts his tough south- London upbringing and his ascent through the worlds of law and politics. Khan's values, faith and policies are all explored in this timely portrait of the man now charged with shaping London, the world's pre-eminent city.

George Eaton (Author)