Khan faces backlash after website says white family ‘doesn’t represent real Londoners’
Sadiq Khan is facing calls to apologise after the Mayor of London’s website said a photograph of a white family “doesn’t represent real Londoners”.
Mr Khan was forced to distance himself from the “inappropriate” comment, which formed part of an official guide to his and Greater London Authority (GLA) branding.
The document included various pictures as examples of what should and should not be used while marketing Mr Khan’s activities and the work of City Hall.
One of these depicted a young white family holding hands as they walked on the banks of the Thames in central London, with the London Eye and Parliament in the background. The image, which featured a mother and father smiling alongside their daughter and son, appeared alongside the caption: “Doesn’t represent real Londoners.”
Separate guidance, first reported by the Mail on Sunday, stated that Mr Khan should be “shown interacting in real and relatable environments”, singling out a second photograph of a team meeting in an office that “[looked] staged and set up”.
By contrast, a photo of Mr Khan surrounded by volunteers from a range of ethnic backgrounds was given the green light.
As a backlash among senior Conservatives grew, Craig Mackinlay, the MP for South Thanet, told The Telegraph: “The Mayor of London has made it very clear through his selective choice of photographs to promote his office that white families do not form part of London any more.
“This is particularly worrying for a Mayor that should be acting for all within his community, and I think it is indicative of the divisive nature of Sadiq and Labour’s view on party politics these days.”
Lee Anderson, the deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, accused Mr Khan of “dog whistle politics”, writing on Twitter: “Do your job – ie reduce crime, build some houses and stop robbing folk.”
Susan Hall, who has been selected as the Tory candidate to take on Mr Khan in the race for City Hall next May, wrote on Twitter: “All Londoners are real Londoners. We should be celebrating London’s diversity, but sadly the Mayor is more interested in dividing people. He should apologise.”
Nigel Farage, the former Ukip leader, said: “Sadiq Khan’s London is run by an anti-white prejudice, which could be called racism.”
Mr Khan has previously described City Hall as an “anti-racist organisation”. In 2020, he said the Covid pandemic and the murder of George Floyd by American police had “exposed the particular scourge of anti-blackness and the gross injustices black people, from every background and walk of life, continue to face”.
A spokesman for the Mayor of London said: “The photo caption was added by a staff member in error, and doesn’t reflect the view of the Mayor or the Greater London Authority. The document has now been taken off the GLA website and is being reviewed to ensure the language and guidance is appropriate.”
