An interview with Sadiq Khan

But that would now not hang him expressionless. In my column this week I decide over his paradoxes, concluding that though his protection proposals are mixed, his vitality and pragmatism are promising. Furthermore, the insinuation—intently pushed by Zac Goldsmith, his Conservative rival—that he’s within the pocket of Jeremy Corbyn, Labour’s annoying-left chief, is clearly unfair. Beneath is the fats transcript of our interview.

NB: The interview has been evenly edited for clarity.

BAGEHOT: If any individual is weighing up balloting for Zac Goldsmith otherwise you, what must tip the balance on your favour?

SADIQ KHAN: London is the excellent city within the field, but we’re at a crossroads. Londoners were priced out altogether and the next generation is lacking out on the opportunities that this city gave my family. The Khan fable is a London fable. My grandparents left India to pass to Pakistan. My americans left Pakistan to come to London. I will be within the principle generation of Khans to now not be an immigrant. London gave me and my family a gamble to fulfil our skill: I went from a council estate to helping operating a industry to a transport minister attending cabinet and now operating to be mayor of London. My americans had a stable and life like council home which intended they’ll also simply have faith ample money to pay rents and would possibly perchance simply identify to set for a deposit to aquire their own home. They despatched their youngsters to correct native scream colleges where the academics pushed us annoying. All of us who desired to pass to college went to college and the one—my brother—who didn’t should dash to college did a intellectual apprenticeship and is now a motor mechanic (arguably he’s basically the most a success within the family!) I went on to turn correct into a lawyer, helped scurry a industry and turned MP for the apartment.

But too many Londoners don’t have faith the probabilities London gave me, and that’s why this election is incredibly major. And except Londoners—in my humble belief—identify the candidate who’s got the vision, the values and the expertise to reduction all Londoners fulfil their skill, I bet it’s going to be too boring.

BAGEHOT: What about any individual pondering: “The Conservatives are in vitality until now not now not up to 2020. Per chance better to pass with a Tory candidate who can take care of the authorities on behalf of London, who’s got those contacts.” What attain you command to that?

SADIQ KHAN: What Londoners are electing is now not an ambassador for the authorities. They’re electing any individual who’s going to be London’s champion, London’s recommend. I became once a minister within the final Labour authorities who would on a frequent foundation work with mayor Boris Johnson. I became once the minister that took thru the Business Price Complement Act, the act that technique that companies in London are contributing £4 billion to Crossrail 1. I’ve confirmed both in my time as a minister working with a mayor from one other occasion, in my twelve years as a councillor in Wandsworth and within the indisputable fact that I even have faith have faith managed to unite americans within the Labour Birthday celebration and also swathes of entrepreneurs and a success industry americans to abet my campaign that I am any individual who unites americans. What London can also simply now not ever elect is any individual who’s the patsy of the highest minister or the chancellor. Ken Livingstone became once by no technique within the pocket of Tony Blair.

BAGEHOT: You would possibly perchance well command that again.

SADIQ KHAN: And Boris Johnson became once by no technique within the pocket of David Cameron. What the full huge cities around the field from Novel York to Chicago, from Paris to Austin, from Berlin to Delhi have faith in any respect times finished is chosen a champion for their city. And the bar must be: who has the values? Who has the vision? Who has the expertise to be basically the most productive mayor that London would possibly perchance be ready to have faith? So compare my CV with Zac Goldsmith’s.

BAGEHOT: You level out other world cities. Is there every other city authorities that you grab inspiration from? They command we’re in an age of mayors. The set attain you gape to?

SADIQ KHAN: I bet it became once a aged mayor of Detroit who acknowledged that if the nineteenth century became once the century of empires and the twentieth century became once the century of nation states, that the twenty-first century is the century of cities. I passionately focal level on that. The mayor of Novel York, Bill de Blasio, has set up a “tech expertise pipeline” to work with the tech sector there to put collectively up this day’s Novel Yorkers to have faith the abilities for the roles of tomorrow. I’m going to establish “Abilities for Londoners”, working with companies to reduction put collectively up the next generation of Londoners to have faith the abilities for these jobs, whether or not they’re in finance, tech, low-carbon, manufacturing, culture or the arts.

Behold at Chicago. Rahm Emanuel has set up an infrastructure financial institution, recognising that you can’t in any respect times dash cap-in-hand to question the authorities. The outdated mayor [of Los Angeles] desired to inexperienced LA and magnify the port, but Barack Obama couldn’t rating it thru Congress or the Senate in characterize to present him funding. He jumped on the aircraft and went to China to rating the funding. Behold at Annise Parker in Houston, where there’s obviously a decent-oil, decent-fossil gasoline financial system. She’s been some of the greenest mayors they’ve had. Behold at Anne Hidalgo. Raised in social housing in Paris, a passionate recommend for social housing. In Berlin they’ve managed to preserve rents down. In Paris they have faith helped americans to cycle.

I’ve met with a few of basically the most productive mayors around the field, whether it’s Mike Bloomberg or Bill de Blasio, to gape whether we are in a position to copy suggestions from other cities. If there’s a correct belief I’ll replicate it; I’m now not precious if it’s a Labour belief, a British belief, or now not. I’ve factual come abet from a round desk at Bloomberg with some of the main companies in London (multinationals, tech, culture and arts, transport, manufacturing); listening to what they assume and discussing how we are in a position to hang town even better.

BAGEHOT: You level out a preference of world cities, but London has a somewhat broken-down mayoralty. Even Manchester is getting abet a watch on over its smartly being service. Would you seek to magnify the role whereas you happen to received in Could presumably perchance?

SADIQ KHAN: Completely, certain. Whilst you gape on the money the mayor spends in contrast with the money raised in London. It is roughly speaking 7%. In Novel York it’s miles 50%. In Tokyo it’s 70%. We must in any respect times devolve famous more vitality to London. So I welcome the indisputable fact that David Cameron and George Osborne are giving more vitality to Scotland, Wales and Better Manchester. But we have faith now got to remind them that it’s now not “mission accomplished” with London. We need famous more powers given to the mayor of London and to the boroughs; over expertise and extra training, over planning of faculty places and standards in London’s training machine, over smartly being in London. Powers, as an instance, to borrow and challenge bonds and over housing. Behold at America. You’ve got Novel York, which is the financial capital. You’ve got LA, which is the cultural capital. You’ve got Washington, which is the political capital. Successfully London is the financial, political and cultural capital of the nation. And Londoners have faith very microscopic command about how it it scurry.

BAGEHOT: Would you admire London to carry out the smartly being powers going to Manchester?

SADIQ KHAN: The announcement on Manchester became once nice but the authorities is now not but walking the wander. For the time being it has presented four pilots in relation to London and smartly being. Taking into story that London’s inhabitants goes to pass from 8.6m now to 9m in 2020 and 10m in 2030, there are some boroughs now where—for the principle time in most trendy reminiscence—you’ve got examples of TB, measles. The set public smartly being is extraordinarily unfortunate. London must have faith famous more vitality over public smartly being and heath customarily. It doesn’t all, by the skill, would possibly perchance have faith to be within the hands of the mayor and Metropolis Hall. I should devolve vitality all the vogue down to native authorities. As an instance, on expertise you’ve got a matter where civil servants are deciding which applications extra training colleges must be operating. I bet native authorities know severely better what expertise are wished in their apartment, in desire to the mayor.

BAGEHOT: You level out the dominant role that London performs in Britain’s civic existence. Construct you terror that it’s miles too dominant?

SADIQ KHAN: No. I’m now not inquiring for us to rating an even bigger prick of the cake. I’m inquiring for us to have faith more of a command in how our city is scurry, to hang the cake bigger. I’ll present you with an instance. If industry rates were devolved to the mayor, we can also command to tiny- and medium-sized companies: we are in a position to slice your industry rates whereas you happen to pay the London Dwelling Wage. That’s a severely better skill of encouraging employers to pay a London Dwelling Wage than the chancellor imposing a nationwide residing wage. If, as an instance, the chancellor were to suppose in his spring finances that he’s going to give the inexperienced light within the extinguish to Crossrail 2, that can well abet other components of the nation as smartly. Crossrail 1, when it opens in 2018 and 2019, will develop the final public transport skill by 10%. That technique americans would possibly perchance be ready to rating to and from work, to the outlets, a ways sooner. If London does better, the Treasury advantages. Everybody advantages. Four in 5 tourists who come to the UK come thanks to the culture and arts scene in London. Whilst you’ve got a mayor on the aspect of culture and arts—helping the Royal Opera Home, the English National Ballet, the Barbican, the O2, the theatres, the galleries, our track venues—that advantages the full nation. Excessive Paddle 2 advantages the north besides London. I don’t assume it’s a 0-sum sport.

BAGEHOT: You’ve acknowledged within the past that the inexperienced belt is “sacred”. But reasonably many of the inexperienced belt is golf applications and excessive-intensity farmland. And the proof means that it technique Londoners would possibly perchance have faith to be stuffed ever-more intently collectively inside of it. Are you particular it’s the categorical skill to set the inexperienced belt on a pedestal in that implies?

SADIQ KHAN: I am committed to holding the inexperienced belt. Novel properties can also also be constructed on brownfield and there’s deal of scope to repair the housing disaster with out building on the inexperienced belt. I’ve got a concept to attain that. I’m going to establish “Properties for Londoners”: a unique group devoted to building basically life like properties to aquire and rent, bringing forward vacant land, bringing in extra funding and dealing with councils and non-public builders. Transport for London owns land such as 16 Hyde Parks. Why don’t we use a few of that land to intention properties, but abet the freehold to preserve an profits circulate from that land? I’m going to have faith “first dibs for Londoners”; offering unique properties to native americans first in desire to out of the country investors. I’m going to have faith a 50% life like properties target and company unique suggestions to be particular that builders intention more basically life like properties. Hong Kong’s transport authority makes extra cash from its property portfolio than from fares. Why haven’t we got a fats-time mayor making certain that TfL does the comparable in London?

So my level is: you don’t should dash to the inexperienced belt whereas you happen to utilize land already on hand in London successfully. I focal level on you can have faith correct-quality, excessive-density properties in London. It’s possible to gape at hidden areas, where you can bring abet land now not in use. Those that recommend most for building on the inexperienced belt are builders. What happens is, as evening follows day, the associated price of those gadgets of land will battle thru the roof if the mayor says “let’s intention on the inexperienced belt”. They’re major as the lungs of our city. If I became once persuaded that the full possible gadgets of land in London were being outdated sensibly and were constructed-upon, building on the inexperienced belt would possibly perchance well be something we can also gape into. But we’re no-where, no-where, no-where shut to there.

BAGEHOT: But are your alternate choices on the categorical scale to take care of the housing disaster? I’ve viewed one picture that claims that the life like London apartment rate is heading within the correct path to hit £1m by 2030. Are they of the categorical characterize of magnitude?

SADIQ KHAN: For the time being the authorities is taking thru Parliament a Housing and Planning Bill that will hang matters a ways, a ways worse. This can drive native authorities to unload their family council properties, customarily to international investors. This can mean that life like social housing would possibly perchance be supplied off below the extension to correct-to-aquire. And the authorities’s definition of “life like properties” is properties costing £450,000. Refuge have faith worked out that to be ready to have faith ample money that it be major to be on an annual salary of £77,000 and have faith a deposit of £98,000. Home building goes down whereas rents are going up. In those situations, you want a mayor who plans to tackle the housing disaster. My Properties for Londoners will attain what it says on the tin. And we have faith now got to hang renting more life like; we want a London Dwelling Rent linked to earnings (at a 3rd of native life like profits) in desire to the market cost of property, a now not-for-profit London-wide letting agent to reduction tenants, more durable action in opposition to rogue landlords. I will be pushing for powers over the rental sector. The premise that London’s housing disaster would possibly perchance be solved by building on the inexperienced belt or building more houses that are then purchased off-concept by investors within the Middle East and Asia is nonsense. You’ve got this ludicrous pains where there are tens of thousands of properties in London sitting empty.

BAGEHOT: What does a decent-industry mayor gape admire? What’s your pitch to entrepreneurs and companies in London?

SADIQ KHAN: I’m basically the most productive some of the candidates who has helped scurry a a success industry, so I know the challenges: the sleepless nights caring about how to pay the salary funds on the pause of the month, relating to the overdraft facility with the financial institution, about getting a talented crew, relating to the industry rates. As mayor I could abet companies to magnify and be more productive. If productiveness goes up, more and more pays a London Dwelling Wage, more can contribute in direction of London’s financial system.

One ingredient I’m going to attain is establish “Abilities for Londoners”, a unique partnership with London’s companies, to make certain Londoners have faith the abilities for the roles of the future. Why now not use the London Opinion to give protection to tiny-industry apartment? To say: if there is a unique housing trend, I desire you to invent areas for open-usabut also focal level on arts areas and extra digital infrastructure. We must also be decent-expert immigration; I consult with so many companies who’re struggling thanks to the authorities’s immigration policies. We also would possibly perchance have faith to be a residing-wage city by working with companies and offering industry-rate incentives to magnify the London Dwelling Wage. And it’s about utilizing the vitality of procurement to hang London basically the most productive city in which to open and grow a industry. We’re now not factual competing from now on with Paris, Berlin and Tokyo, we’ve now got to take into story the Chinas and Indias. We’ve got to be intrepid within the worldwide financial system.

BAGEHOT: Your occasion chief has some abnormal views on industry and wealth-introduction: a 60% rate of profits tax, banning dividends at companies that don’t pay a residing wage. The Conservatives obviously should tar you with that. What ensures are you able to give Londoners that you are your individual man?

SADIQ KHAN: Jeremy Corbyn is now not on the ballotpaper on Could presumably perchance 5th. Neither is David Cameron and Boris Johnson. I’ve set out my vision for London. The set I have faith the Conservative authorities, I’ll work intently with them to rating basically the most productive deal possible. In the same vogue where I disagree with them, I’ll set London’s interests first. The same goes for the Labour Birthday celebration leadership. In the cases where I have faith it, I’ll work with it. I bet Jeremy Corbyn is the housing disaster and reducing it. The set I disagree with him I could command so. So I disagree with him about imposing a Robin Hood Tax. I disagree with his protection on dividends. I don’t focal level on that the Metropolis of London Company must be abolished: I bet they attain truly correct stuff and I look forward to working with them.

I’m now not scared to grab on my occasion leadership, now not like the other guy [Zac Goldsmith]. The opposite guy provides the affect of being just-minded but has spent the final three weeks bending over backwards to be photographed with David Cameron and Boris Johnson. I will be in no one’s pocket. It’s truly major that London has an recommend, whether it’s arguing in Brussels for reform that advantages London or working with the authorities. That also technique tough conversations with my very own occasion leadership.

BAGEHOT: You’ve got mentioned unique hyperlinks with China, the remainder of Asia, Africa. Certainly that technique London wants a single hub airport with connections to all those places; now not factual Beijing and Shanghai but the next tier of cities. But you’ve got come out in opposition to Heathrow growth. Why?

SADIQ KHAN: I decide up that we need more airport skill on this apartment of the nation. Unlike Zac Goldsmith I even have faith unequivocally licensed that. Admittedly, I don’t assume Heathrow is the answer, and I’ll repeat you why. In the final four years for which there are statistics, 10,000 Londoners died thanks to air pollution. Last yr a court decreed that the air in London is in breach of the air quality directive. Taking into story that the outside hyperlinks to Heathrow are as tough as they’re (the M4, the M25), taking into consideration that with none doubt I will predict there would possibly perchance be upright limitations if Heathrow gets the inexperienced light, the quickest skill to develop air skill for this half of the nation is a unique runway at Gatwick. The numbers of americans stricken by noise air pollution are a ways smaller than for Heathrow. The preference of americans stricken by noise if we rating a unique runway at Heathrow is more than the amount for Paris, Frankfurt, Madrid and Brussels added collectively. Gatwick has by no technique breached the air quality directive. You rating the elevated air skill, the roles and the growth, plus you rating the transport hyperlinks. Extra competition from Gatwick is correct for Heathrow too. And by the skill, Boris Johnson has come out in opposition to expanding Metropolis Airport. I should relook at that. The level is this: I am in favour of a most modern transport machine that addresses London’s wants, but I’m horrified Heathrow is now not the answer. So as a replace of having an inside of occasion furore, the authorities must rating on and command certain to Gatwick.

BAGEHOT: You’re up in opposition to a Conservative with a stable file in his native constituency and with the weight of the Lynton Crosby machine on the abet of him. How attain you intend to grab that on?

SADIQ KHAN: I like Zac Goldsmith, I bet he’s a nice guy, I’ve in any respect times got on with him and I’m upset that he has taken the recommendation of Crosby’s group in relation to how he how his campaign has operated.

BAGEHOT: Give me an instance.

SADIQ KHAN: The hang of literature they’ve been inserting out in components of London is now not conducive to a correct, optimistic campaign. I desire a honest correct campaign. I even have faith a vision of an even bigger London for all Londoners. I even have faith a concept and the expertise to hang it a actuality. Like I acknowledged, we’re at a crossroads and if we don’t act now this is in a position to well be too boring. So within the following few weeks I will be talking about my concept to repair the housing disaster, to have faith a most modern and life like transport machine, for a stronger and fairer financial system, for a greener and more healthy city, to preserve Londoners stable. In terms of Could presumably perchance 5th, what I’d admire americans to take into story is: who has the values, the vision, the expertise and the humility to be a mayor for all Londoners? I bet the answer is me.

BAGEHOT: Sadiq Khan, thank you.

SADIQ KHAN: Thank you.