Sadiq Khan: The Dark Side Of The Police. How Safe Are We REALLY? | E216
2698 segments
Frank Donald Trump was obsessed with me
the mayor of London wasn't somebody of
my background my faith he wouldn't
responded the way he did would he mayor
of London City Khan is the first Muslim
man has made some powerful opponents the
new image of Britain's Multicultural
Society the mayor is with us do you
think London's safe uh well we've
reduced homicides live crime family
crime I don't think people feel safe in
London I'm not excusing it I'm
explaining it because of consequences
there's been a lot of instances of
police officers who have attacked raped
women and girls on the Streets of London
what are you doing about that we're
doing it now how am I being criticized
for this since you were elected mayor
what are the things you look at and go
do you know I failed there well that's a
good question but I'm running for
election in 467 days time I'm not going
to answer that question honestly because
anything else is going to use against me
you can't tell the truth because someone
might use it against you I think most
MPS have got to be inauthentic are Ty
because
what's been your hardest day as London
mayor there's been a few at least 58
people were killed in the fire at
grenfell Tower I still remember the
images I still remember the heat one
family six people wiped out and a number
of Terror attacks in London London
Bridge Westminster Bridge Finsbury Park
I went to a lot of funerals that summer
was hard
I just want to start this episode with a
message of thanks a thank you to
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to do this to get to learn from these
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from a very selfish perspective trying
to solve problems I have in my life so I
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[Music]
Sadiq
give me your context I spent a long time
reading through your Baxter and I think
it's an especially important place to
start because it appears to be much of
your your reason for being and your
reason for doing so can you take me
right back
um I want to hear about Pakistan I want
to hear about your your earliest years
in London sure
so first it's a pleasure to to be on
this uh Stephen can I just just say two
things before we start it's not me being
a sycophant and please don't think I'm
being patronizing but firstly
um I think you realize that you're a
massive role model to so many londoners
and there are people that you will never
meet
who you've had an impact on and so thank
you firstly for that and and I meet
people that you don't meet who when I
say Who's Your Role Models uh and I pray
you need to give examples of the hard
work you do uh so so thank you for that
but secondly congratulations it's always
lovely to meet someone who's incredibly
successful
um who's normal so my my family's uh
story uh is quite complicated
uh my grandparents and
great-grandparents were in India both of
my mum's side and my dad's side
and the story of India is India was part
of the British Empire
and the short version of the long story
is in 1947
the British decided to give up India
and partition India I don't want to go
into divide and Rule and stuff but
there'd been sectarian violence now
between Muslims Sikhs and Hindus and a
Muslim in India wasn't safe
just like a Sikh in Hindu generally
speaking in West Pakistan news Pakistan
won't say why because these countries
were going to be stensibly Muslim and
the middle India ostensibly Hindu and
Sikh so my grandparents and great
grandparents left everything behind
everything behind
so my parents had experienced being
immigrants once already right from India
to Pakistan and they had a comfortable
life in Pakistan middle class not middle
class
uh my Dad decided he was in the
Pakistani Air Force he went first to
Australia uh and
if any Australians watching this this is
no expression on your country it's a
great country right he didn't really
like Australia and so when he went when
he went back to Pakistan he didn't want
to go to Australia to live
and then he came to London
and uh he made London his home and this
is a London which yes when he first came
there were signs saying you know no
blacks no Irish no dogs by blacks
anybody who wasn't white and when I
compare my mum and dad who traveled you
know three four thousand miles learned a
new language learned a new culture
raised a family
I was born in Tuten in St George's
hospital I first lived a mile up the
road in the Henry Prince estate on a
council estate my parents moved a mile
the other way afterwards when my dad
managed to save a deposit for a house
and I now live a mile and a half from
where I was born so I've literally gone
up a mile radius right from where I was
born in my grandparents and my parents
had this huge strife and travel this way
so I'll be the first Con in three
generations and not to be a migrant
because I'm I'm staying here that whole
experience growing up in a house of 10
10 people eight siblings in total
um in a in a council house
um flat flat yeah Council flat
um
the The Immigrant story you've told
there
watching your parents struggle to
provide for both for all of you
um
what imprint has that left on you when
you look back and go that's why I am the
way that I am that's it's really I'm
really trying to get at the real
defining attributes the things that make
City different from the the average
person on the street
the work ethic the piss but you know
um and with that I also want to know you
know one of my guests on this podcast
that was the coach for Michael Jordan
Kobe Bryant said that we all have a dark
side and much of our dark side is can be
attributed to the thing that makes us
quote unquote great you've seen the Last
Dance yeah oh God it sounds amazing my
favorite from upstairs in the wall yeah
so so
um
so I think you tend to
mirror emulate
and be like those you're around you copy
their mannerisms their behaviors and so
forth and I I was raised in a family
where
we felt incredibly privileged mum and
dad both made sure we understood
that this privilege meant with a
responsibility to
you know listen to your teachers at
school
to work hard
um and you know to to you know not be
Ashoka basically and so
you know all of us not just had a really
good worth of work ethics still do
all of us also it's interesting I just
think about this the other night
I've given saying back whether it's
coaching in boxing or whether it's you
know volunteering at a swimming club
whether it's you know politics or
whatever
because that came from our parents what
we saw in relation and also what we saw
was going on the estate and how I've
what our friends are doing and stuff and
you know
and the interesting thing about our
estate was
everyone worked all the dads worked most
of the mums had a job and you know there
was a work ethic and a sense of
community I'm not pretending it was
brilliant you know roast into glasses
and stuff
but yeah so you know that you know my
wife often you know jokes that you know
I can't sit around doing nothing I've
always got to be doing something because
I always saw my dad doing something even
if I went on you know the odd day he'd
have off he'd take us to museums take us
to galleries go out on a tour of London
go to Hyde Park so so there's no there
was no
time for doing nothing
um and so it's really and so I it's hard
for me to actually spend down time go to
the theater and just do Leisure or you
know read a book for
for the sake of reading a book and stuff
because you know they were go-getters I
I saw that throughout your story um and
I heard it from some of your colleagues
as well that
and I also heard you say in fact in one
interview where you said that you work
seven days a week
not very healthy
yes and no so
um
I'm very lucky I'm privileged I'm I'm
mayor London
I did a meeting last week with my staff
and my my sort of top staff and I said
to them last week listen
um I would reply for my job
at the next election
in this term we have
475 days left that's now down to four or
six seven days left at the time we're
recording this
we've got to work in the basis but there
is a possibility I'll try my best that
it doesn't happen
the responsibility I will not be
re-elected when I reply for my job
londoners will say no
we've got to use every single day we
have left
every hour we have left to make sure we
maximize
delivering for our city to make it safer
to make it fairer to make it greens make
it more prosperous you can't afford to
waste this time it's a privilege it's a
privilege to what about you though in
your in your family and all the other
things that make life you know worth
living it's not just work right yeah but
but some of the stuff I do is work
without being work I'll give you an
example so I might go and support
uh a theater production my support is
going along to watch it and they can
then amplify it I've been there right
but it's a great night for for my wife
and I or I might do say with with my
daughters and stuff you know but I
recognize that my my wife and daughters
and my mum and my brothers and sisters
and my in-laws
you know have no sacrifices by me doing
my job you know and I'm cognizant of
that and I'm grateful for that you can't
do the job that I'm doing without the
support of your family by the way you
can also do this job I work three days a
week the previous guy did that right you
can do that right but he meant I felt
privileged to do the job I think it's a
privilege and I remember when I was in
government
um I don't remember in 2010
uh the last year I sat around the
cabinet with uh you know Gordon Brown
and the team
and I think there are some incredibly
talented people around that cabinet in
the prime of their game
it's an incredibly talented special
advisors in the prime of their game
we lost the general election
and their Peak years
they're not in government they're not
advising the government
had I known in 2005 when I first became
an MP and had you know Tony and Gordon
sat down with
300 plus MPS and say listen
we've got to maximize these five years
between thousand five thousand and ten
I think things may have been different
because we'd realize it's a privilege
we're going to use every day we have you
know so I'm not criticizing Tony and
going but I'm saying you don't know how
long you've got your job right and so my
views you make the most of it it's time
to rest later on
that's also not guaranteed though right
well you know in terms of Life generally
yeah but you know I love my job I've
I've been lucky to have three big jobs I
was a lawyer for 11 years loved it loved
being loyal I was a parliamentarian and
a minister for 11 years loved it but I'm
neither May I've been the mayor for the
last six and five years and so if you're
lucky enough
to have a job you love and your family
supportive you've got to have a
supportive family my wife is so
supportive she's not just a an
incredible chead she gives me good
advice she pulls me up you know when I
when I bring the arrogance home or I
have delusions of grandeur you know she
makes sure I put the bins out she makes
sure that I'm doing my behaving up
cleaning up and stuff you need that at
home that's sort of you need that sense
of normality home my daughter's Jews I
mean you know they there's no is the
greatest in my house they're both back
home now to finish University they're
both working
um and so they're supportive they
support what I'm doing uh they know I'm
here
um it's your wife and I said to her I
said what are you um what annoys you
about City
because I could tell you what my
girlfriend would say she'd say she said
Stephen is just an hour and a half how
long have you got and uh it's Anonymous
I'm sure there's a long list of stuff I
mean I think I think uh because people
don't get to see that the impact that
being a politician has on the family at
home now this is one of the things I'm
super interested in with all my guests
is
um how they how that then impacts all
the people we don't get to see yeah yeah
it's that's right so what I did at early
stage was I involved uh my office so my
my team mouth is a lot of them are now
my best friends I've worked with them so
long
they know my they're not Sadia and they
know the kids so uh simple things you
know my team will send Sardi in my diary
for the week in advance so that's what
I'm doing the nights I'm out the nights
I'm in which things should be coming
along to and so the family's involved in
that at home we have uh you know on on
the fridge or which tells us who's at
home for walking Luna and so forth and
so we've got it it only works when you
share what you're doing and stuff my
wife's got her own you know she's got
two jobs herself so it only works
if you know everyone's on the same page
it does not work and a lot of my friends
in politics marriage breakups a lot of
my friends in the law marriage breakups
you know all the sorts of problems and
stuff so you've got to have not just
somebody who
you know is supportive of you doing it
but he's an active player and you're
doing it and you've got to make sure
that parts of your work life
are sharing with your home life
there's a couple of conditions we have
at home what is the biggest friction
though that's the question yeah so I
mean we don't have much friction at home
I mean work-life balance is an issue uh
you know me missing another family event
or or may not be able to go to
um
a distant friends or relations social
event but we don't really do friction
I'm trying you know trying to think that
the last time we had
you know starting management so last
Saturday for example uh and I I was
doing something for work and then I
promised to go to and you know party in
Eastbourne uh uh an anniversary party of
a friend and you know and then do same
back in London on Sunday so managing
that with negotiating that with my wife
and my daughters was was quite was Quite
a feat you mentioned you're a lawyer
firm um just just more than a decade
I'm always um I'm always I think the
word is skeptical I've said this to Matt
Hancock when I spoke to him about like
why politicians become politicians
um
you had a great job
you know paid a lot of money you made
the decision to to quit that job very
abruptly and go into politics and become
ultimately a labor MP
why
so so the the the sort of the
qualification to to that question you're
right by the way that's all right is it
was the MP for two tin yep so what I
wasn't going to do is give up my illegal
Korean by the way it was it wasn't just
a great little career but a great future
ahead of me because you know you know
it's just the two of us around the
business very profitable gone from being
you know a business we just employing
eight people to more than 50 while I was
a partner
but the opportunity came to be the MP
for two teen tuition I was born and
raised in literally the MP for tuition
at a guy called Tom Cox had been the MP
my entire life I'd never known any other
MP I'd never been inside the Chamber of
Parliament I didn't know any friends who
were MPS
uh I didn't really know any friends in
politics I don't think I was a counselor
in my spare time uh look at you know
serving the local community
as a lawyer in my spare time I was in my
spare time I was chair of Liberty Human
Rights group you know chair of legal
action group a legal aid charity group
um but the opportunity came to be the
MP4 tutin and you know I couldn't say no
um because you know it was the chance to
represent my community in Parliament and
the way I described at the time because
people saying to me what are you doing
why it just makes sense
was you know I was blessed to have a
good legal career and if I won a case
for my client
uh he or she benefited or if I sell the
case
if the case went to one of the higher
courts we'd said a president Senator
president means that other people
benefit from the president of the case
because you've changed the law
and that's a big deal and you know I was
blessed to do that but when you're in
Parliament and you're part of the
government you can pass legislation or
amend legislation
that affects millions of people uh so
not just people in tutin but people
across our city and our country and
being the MP for two-ton uh was why I
gave up the hill career not to be an mp4
MP's sake to be the MP for tooting
why does that matter to you helping
millions of people it's my it's it's
public service right it's it's the
ability to impact and improve people's
uh lives I could have you know when I
left when I left Law School
gotten worked in the city and you know
being a City lawyer but I chose to do
the law that I chose to do for a variety
of reasons you know it's important for
me to be a lawyer practicing you know
discrimination or you know issues around
police misconduct issues around uh
employment law do litigation sort of
cases that I that I undertook what
motivated me was this issue of acting on
behalf of the underdog
uh being the advocate for people I grew
up with who were routinely you know the
wrong end of the sus law stop and search
people I knew who were unfairly
dismissed uh people who you know I was
aware who had been discriminated against
you know
um acting for the victims of
miscarriages of Justice
um that was important to me why
a number of reasons my inspiration for
being lawyer is uh we read To Kill a
Mockingbird no I wouldn't be Atticus
Finch right well you know we wouldn't be
at Alex's Finch and then and then when I
watched uh when I was growing up this
this program on TV you're too young to
remember it called La law
I wanted to be this local Fuentes Jimmy
Smith's played this lawyer who was doing
this really good cases
but also remember a number of things
happened around that time
where I felt helpless
uh you know the way my dad was treated
in his bus garage the bus garage closing
down felt hopeless we couldn't do
anything about it you know getting a
March is fine but you need to challenge
this in the course if you could if you
couldn't use the use the the court
system you want to change the laws you
know seeing friends Street the way they
were and and I thought
it's not wrong but there's no way of
helping you know people who need help
and being a lawyer is a noble thing I
know people I know lawyers get a bad bad
rep and you know uh some lawyers doing a
lot of money
but people who do the law that I was
doing you know uh don't earn a lot of
money some do and I was very lucky to to
do well but it's important to me public
service to act on behalf of these uh
people who act some power for the person
who's the receiving in a police
misconduct who actually part of the
person who's uh you know discriminated
on the grounds of their race or gender
in the in the workplace so what I got
from that is your dad was I'm trying to
understand the personal reasons why you
chose that path which is like you know
like we've all chosen our past for
for interesting reasons I think a lot of
my path was defined by my own
insecurities as a kid what I've heard
though is your the thing about your
dad's bus
um Depot being shut down that's garage
and then there was some of your friends
in your life had experienced certain
types of abuse that were
um because of the
race or but also mistreatment by the
police
that that was your like personal
motivation right yeah yeah yes so so
those are my experiences my experience
growing up was that you know actually
life isn't always fair and you need
somebody to be there to help you
um and it's never been about
you know it sounds you know uh
Frankly Speaking about you know
wankerish but it's never been about
yourself making money none of my
siblings
have you know following followed paths
which is interesting none of us have
followed paths where it's been about you
know making money for money's sake it's
about doing a job we enjoy
and trying to give someone back where
you can whether it's being a teacher
whether it's being you know a coach or
whatever
over the last 10 years in your own view
which direction do you think London has
gone in as in terms of like safety and
in terms of
um desirability and in terms of world
influence over the last let's say 10
years because it's I think it's my view
that it's it's it's probably gone
in a negative Direction in terms of like
influence safety
um
and yeah I think generally like the
respect of the of the capital
and I think I mean a number of factors
have contributed to that obviously the
pandemic has been a big one but then I
think generally the the knife crime
issue and the safety issues and these
are all things influenced by biases
right because I was when I moved to
London I was burgled really badly 3 A.M
in the morning came in my house stole
everything we never heard anything back
from the police there was no interest in
in helping us so
um but just generally I've lived in
other parts of the world yeah no sure
sure you know I lived in the Middle East
lived in spent time in Dubai's lived in
New York for many many years
um New York's not not necessarily safe
at all but other parts of the world seem
to be much safer and it's funny because
when I speak to some of my um
friends who've been successful in
business and they talk about why they're
leaving the UK it's one of the top three
reasons there's always safety it's
always I don't feel safe in London
before I before before you before we had
this had this conversation I was
listening to um Amir Khan talk about him
being robbed on the High Street in
London coming out a restaurant at
gunpoint you see the footballers the
Arsenal players all being robbed at
knife point on mopeds my girlfriend had
her phone snatched out of her hand while
walking you know and you just think oh
God it's not safe to be in London
first it's already sort of your
experience and I wasn't too distressed
so so if you look at London over the
last uh 10 years the last 20 years even
uh if you parked brexit for a second uh
because we can come back to that in
relation to the impact of brexit on uh
London London is a global City uh uh you
know I don't want to go to various
metrics but it's we're doing incredibly
well as a global City in relation to uh
foreign direct investment
in relation to uh the diversity of
people coming to London in relation to
you know the tourism of London in
relation to retention of talent
uh in relation to the diversity of our
economy it's not just the financial
services Professional Services Legal
Services Life Sciences higher education
um culture Tech so forth so the
underlying strengths are still there and
we are doing incredibly well we punch
well above our weight in relation to the
rest of the country
because of how well we're doing we
contribute roughly speaking every year
net to the treasury at 42 billion pounds
and it's been going up over the period
of time so so we uh you know as a slice
of the national pie contribute far more
but then we're supposed to be remind the
size of our city and it's because we've
managed to attract talent and keep
Talent that's why I'm here yeah but the
reason why I might go is because it's
okay and so and so one of the challenges
we've had post brexit to keep that
Talent here and we can talk about some
of the stuff we've done to keep it in
relation to safety it is a fact and I I
and I'm really sorry for for your
experience uh genuinely Stephen because
I've met too many people like you being
the victims of crime
but I'm afraid the bad news is since
2012 uh and nationally 2013 uh serious
violence has been going up since 2013.
across our country including London
London is not separate from the rest of
the country and feeling the impact
now without excusing criminality and I'm
not excusing those people of burglary
house by the way and I'm not saying this
for their motivation
but there is a link between and crime is
complex causes by the way without
excusing it you know and I believe very
simply you've got to deal with it in two
ways one is to be tough on crime more
pleasing given the support they need to
to make sure they deal with the the
criminals I call it public health
approach and it comes to explain what I
mean on top of the complex causes of
crime in relation to dealing with
underlying causes deprivation poverty
elimination inequality and so forth you
can't escape the fact that since 2010
we've had massive austerity in this
country so there had been 21 000 fewer
police officers across the country in
the last 12 years that is a fact we've
got youth clubs that have closed down
use centers closed down after school
club's not taking place weekend clubs
not taking place uh unemployment's gone
uh High until very recently and so forth
I'm not excusing it I'm explaining it
and so uh you know when I became mayor
one of the things I promised London as I
would do is to be straight with
londoners about the problems in relation
to I was quite clear straight away
saying listen
these Cuts have consequences and we've
got to recognize there were consequences
so I'm going to use the limited powers I
have and raise council tax
that's one lever to bring money in and
use it to pay for more police officers
and I was criticized for doing so but I
had to do it because of your experience
was when I'd heard too many times before
so we've paid for 1300 more officers not
enough but it's what all I can do
there's a limit how much you can raise
council tax to it's a regressive tax
but also use business rates money to
open up youth clubs again youth centers
employee youth workers have summer
schemes we have now 32 000 mentors we're
going to get to 100 000 of the next two
three years mentors are crucial in my
view
and the good news I'm not complacent at
all and Amir Khan's experience was also
awful was the good news is we have
bucked the national Trend so
across the country homicides are going
up in London they're going down we've
reduced homicides knife crime gun crime
10 and shopping science burglary since I
became mayor nowhere near low enough
uh because we've got to invest more in
the police and invest more in the causes
of crime and when I talk about public
health approach Stephen what I mean by
that is this
think of crime as you would a public
health issue what would you do
you deal with the infection you've got
to kill the infection right more police
officers uh you know go to arrest people
you've got to stop the infection
spreading really important we stop you
know the crime spreading people thinking
that you can be successful by being a
criminal we've got to stop it deal with
the gang so forth but stop the infection
occurring in the first place stop the
crime occurred in the first place and
you know uh it's a source of Pride to me
we've not made the progress but our
policies being tough and crime and
invested in the police and we are
reforming the police at the same time
but also invested in young people is
leading to the turnaround in London and
we've backed the national trade in
London and it's a global City sorry as a
global City
uh you speak to as I do regularly the
mayor of New York the mayor of Chicago
the mayor of La those are our
comparators with respect not do you know
it is I just I would just like to feel
really safe
and I I when I go to other places if you
go to a somewhere in the middle east or
Dubai or whatever it might be you feel
exceptionally safe
you know so it's like to be honest I
went to Indonesia I was Indonesia a
couple of weeks ago I was in Bali I said
to my girlfriend I said you could leave
you could leave your wallet on the floor
here and it would still be there an hour
later when you come back you do that in
London
you know not only have you lost your
wallet you probably come back you've
lost your shoes or something you know
like and I just it's all sucks so great
charity generosity and you know
londoners aren't quite all quite like
that Stephen I don't think they feel
safe I don't think people feel safe
enough and more so if you're Auburn or a
girl if you think you don't feel safe
one of the big challenges that we've got
is making sure that women and girls feel
safe is this all solvable in your view
without doubt we saw in the hell we saw
in the uh 2000s uh you know uh between
997
and uh you know the mid-naughties huge
progress made in reducing crime uh and
it was dealing with the two things that
I said you've got to be tough and crime
top of the causes you're invest in
policing but also invest in dealing with
the causes of uh a policing definitely
solvable we've made progress uh in the
past we're making progress in London uh
and now we've got to make sure at the
same time of course you know we reform
the police we'll publicize issues in uh
policing London has got to be the eyes
in the Years there are some amazing
citizens in London who you know would
return the wallet to you uh you know if
you left it you know if you'd lost it or
left around in London we'll report
something taking place we'll come
forward if they're a witness of crime
we'll come forward and support the
police that are victim of a crime we'll
join the Police Service these problems
are definitely solvable uh we've done it
in the past we're doing it now and with
the possibility you know in the not
distant future of a you know changing
government and a government that invests
in public services it definitely
solvable
on the one of the points you made there
about the infection spreading I thought
was quite compelling I was reading about
the the story of um I think it's hars
rat Wally
the story of an 18 year old guy who was
in Twickenham was approached by a 16
year old kid ended up being stabbed to
death by Within 18-inch knife because he
got into an argument with this person
and when that 16 year old that stabbed
him to death was asked he said he
stabbed him because
he was people in his life had been
um victims of knife crime and he he
thought he was scared that
hazrat would have a knife himself that's
the infection you're talking about yes
basically what happens is
um
some young people that I speak to
um will think the way to be safe is to
carry a knife because
they suspect you might be carrying knife
right
and so we've got to get the message
across that you know leaving it home
with a knife doesn't make you more safe
it makes you less safe
so if you go to a primary school not not
a secondary school a primary school
uh across the country by the way
and you have a classroom of 30 people
and you say how many of you
know somebody
carrying the knife
you'll be shocked the number of hands
that go up in a primary school right
uh secondary school is even higher and
so there is this belief amongst young
people
that Karen the life makes you more safe
not less safe and by the way I went to a
tough Secondary School lots of fights
nobody even thought about taking a knife
to school right or getting involved with
knives at all and you know
um so we've got to deal with that issue
at source
to make sure young people understand the
dangers so we're going to school
speaking to young people people with
credibility you've got to have somebody
who's the message carrier needs to be
somebody who kids respect and will
listen to right and so getting people to
go into schools to explain the dangers
sometimes it's a bereaved mum and
bereaved mum can be really effective in
explaining the story about her son tends
to be boys about her son and the dangers
of carrying the knife so we're going to
stop it at source we've also going to
make sure Frankly Speaking that there's
intelligence-led stop and search because
if you're covering the knife I want you
to be stopped and searched if you've got
a knife taken off you I would bet
progress in taking knives off people
which is saving life's weapon sweeps is
really important but also if you're
caught having the knife there's got to
be serious sentences there's got to be a
consequence of you carrying that knife
but you know and that's why we're gonna
have these conversations that's why it's
the public health approach and it is
leading to you know huge reductions you
know over the last year we've had a 55
reduction in doing homicides not enough
one is one too many
uh you know a few homicides last year
then when I first became uh mayor not
enough but we're making progress because
the investment is now starting to pay
dividends in relation to youth clubs
youth work going into schools more
police officers there was a there was a
big drop in knife crime wasn't there um
was it 2020 would I say
so is that the pandemic so the pandemic
we saw a reduction a number of reasons
obviously for three months people but
there was a lockdown and stuff but and
those that progress we've carried on but
it's starting to go down before the
pandemic uh we first started investing
in it's called the Young londoners Fund
in about 20 18 19 but it takes some time
to get youth workers back employed you
centers back open and also young people
starting to have these points landed on
them uh it's not there's not you know
light bulb moment it's going to take
time spend time with them that's why
mentors are so important the reason I
made the point at the beginning Stephen
about about you as a role model is you
know I'm a firm believer and you can't
you can't be if you can't see it right I
was lucky I was lucky that I saw at home
my mum working really hard my dad
working really hard my Big Brother's
working really hard I draw models a lot
of young people haven't got that role
model at home the youth worker is their
role model a youth worker is an amazing
asset to a young person if you've not
got the role model at home in relation
to a big brother a friend somebody you
can ring up somebody give you careers
advice you know a lot of young people
don't have to put up a tie right they
had to shave I can't go for a job
interview those soft skills we're
teaching young people now you may think
why are you teaching young people as
soft skills because they need those soft
skills right well knife crimes up since
last year though isn't it no it's gone
down so basically knife grounds knife
ground's gone down since I became mayor
uh homicides comes down since last year
no robberies got off a bit Robert's got
off about for a number of reasons uh
we're dealing with the uh um yeah uh a
robberies when you're up yeah out and
about okay robbery sorry robbery's
burglary with violence right
um my last question on that topic is do
you think London's safe uh well
I asked that question by your answer if
you don't feel it's safe it's not safe
right and so do you feel it safe
yeah I do because my comparator isn't
with respect Bali
or ordered by my comparatories New York
Chicago
um those cities because we are a global
City Stephen uh you know we're not we're
not Cheshire right and so you know but
but if it's not safe for you it's not
safe for me I speak to too many women
and girls they say it's not safe I speak
to too many women in particular who say
they're imposing a curfew in themselves
not to go at night time because they
don't feel safe in that case it's not
safe I speak to too many
um you know people who are worried about
their safety and you know perception is
is important here because it's fear of
crime that you're talking about because
of your experience right uh and you'll
speak to your friends and not reasonably
that they'll be apprehensive and scared
so it's a problem for me as we've got to
address it women and girls there's been
um a lot of
talk recently about instances of police
officers who have attacked
raped with women and girls on the
Streets of London
what are you doing about that to prevent
that happening going forward
so in the last few years has been at
last
publicity given to the fact that every
three days across our country a woman is
killed at the hands of a man every three
days
that's a sobering fact
recently we've seen not just the tragic
murders of Sarah everard
um you know Zara Alina you know Bieber
and Nicole uh you know and many others
Sabina Nessa but also we've seen people
who we entrust to keep us safe
peace officers police officers
the people we go to and we're the
victims of crime
being involved in the most serious
crimes possible
Sarah everard
was abducted by a man using his Warren
card raped and killed by serving police
officer
we had David Carrick somebody who'd been
a police officer for almost 20 years we
discovered throughout most of his 20
years
had been a prolific sexual offender used
in the fact he's a police officer to
commit some of those crimes
but also it appears there are
opportunities for the police
during the vetting process
to find out this guy was a criminal and
not just stop him being a police officer
but take action against him
my view that I've been making clear for
a number of years now and I've been
criticized for this
is I think there are sustaining cultural
issues in the Police Service one of the
reasons why ultimate has come ultimately
lost confidence in the previous
commissioner
was my lack of belief in her ability to
understand this as an issue have a plan
to address this I have a plan to impact
the trusted confidence of londoners
and so
we've got to make sure we have a
reforming commissioner doing this job
unless the guy at the top or the woman
at the top understands the problem how
you're going to fix it I think the new
commissioner and his Deputy understand
there's a problem and I've got a plan to
fix it
they're taken on board the
recommendations from an outsider you
can't Mark your own homework you need
somebody else
to look into things
tell you how bad things are make
recommendations and follow them through
so we've got an outsider Louise Casey
talking to us going on in the Met Police
Service she's published an interim
report
the Commissioners accepted all the
findings she will now publish her final
report later on this year we need to
change the rules around how police
officers are employed so if a member of
your staff had a nickname
the bastard if I would raise questions
for you right why is this guy's nickname
amongst his colleagues the bastard
or other nicknames that police officers
involved in this stuff have had no
action taken against them because
it's very difficult for
commission and others to get rid of
dodgy officers the regulations make it
difficult
one asking necessarily in all cases for
criminal prosecution we're asking for
those officers to be at least sacked
so we're lobbying the government to
change the regulations to make it easier
for the commission to get rid of dodgy
officers we've set up a hotline for
people can ring in and police officers
can ring in about dodgy Behavior other
officers
from City Hall without government
support from City Hall were investing
more money in ramping up the vetting
processes right this guy should have
been spotted a mile away I've also asked
the commissioner he's well it was his
idea to be fair to go back 10 years and
look at every single time a police
officer has had a complaint made against
them of this nature to see if any other
opportunities missed with other officers
we've also got a new unit which we're
invested in an anti-abuse and Corruption
unit but my view is this by the way in
London
we've shown a spotlight on this but
there are other police forces around the
country
where you know I'm sure there are other
issues where that spotlight's not been
shown yet and so it's really important
for us to recognize these systemic
cultural issues across our country that
demand addressing
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episode
what's been your hardest day as London
mayor
there's been a few I think grunfeld
Tower
that
I still remember the images that's
remember the Heat
I went to a lot of funerals
um that summer was
that someone was hard I still I'm still
touched with the families that I see
them often
and whenever I see them
it comes back my grandfather was just
it was just and it still it still sticks
with me because it it could have been us
it's councilor State diverse estate
lovely community
those families will not be the same
again
um
and every time I go there
and I spend time with the families
you just you just think what these
families are going through
your one family six people wiped out uh
another 11 year old child
who'd want to asset competition
and you know when you speak to those who
were the judges she would have gone on
to being you know this amazing woman
lost their life in that fire and so that
2017 was hard because we also had at the
same time the orphan grenfell
and a number of Terror attacks in London
uh London Bridge uh Westminster Bridge
uh Finsbury Park
um
that some was harder you know because I
spent a lot of time I I like I like I
liked I think it's important
for me to spend time with brief families
so when I was an MP when I was a lawyer
I spent a lot of time brief animals my
clients when I was an MP there was ever
you know a homicide in TuneIn
I would meet the families asking me the
families when I became may I started a
practice where
Whenever there was a homicide in London
my office would write to the family and
say look obviously give my condolences
but give them my details and meet with
the families
and so after grunfell uh you know into a
lot of funerals a lot of families and
and those families stories
stay with you and I'm still in contact
with a lot of them
but that summer
um
June 2017
you referenced the London Bridge attacks
as well where I think three men in a van
mounted the sidewalk then jumped out
with knives and killed I think eight
people in total in um
borough borough Market
when you see this happening you're at
home right 10 p.m at night you're
watching the Telly you see this
happening
what goes on in your head
so just just to reassure people watching
so we do a lot of preparation a lot of
blood practice a lot of planning on
those sorts of things so you see try
and and
you're never ready for it but you try to
do what you can in advance to understand
it because I'm not a police officer I'm
not an nmo5
I'm not counter-terror but I'm the
police around commissioner so I need to
understand what you're doing so so I can
understand your job and so I I've always
tried to understand what you're doing so
I can be at help not hindrance
and so when it happens there's a lot of
uncertainty in real time what's going on
but the good news is
our police and other partners are
trained for the phrases
a marauding terrorist uh the phrase for
it uh there's training for it and and we
learn from other countries when this
happens so
uh the first time this sort of uh Terror
tactic was used that's well known about
was in Delhi a number of years ago so
our police have learned what's happened
there and so we practice a lot of this
stuff in relation to
what what the Firearms team will do in
the situation
what the police response will do what my
role is going to be where I should be
and so forth
and and also you've got to give
Assurance to londoners you can't play
into the terrorist hands what does
terrorist want you to do a terrorist
wants to terrorize you and have Panic
spreading changing behavior in a way
that's perverse and so forth so it's
really important the response I have to
a terror attack because I could
inadvertently be playing into the hands
of the terrorists well there's a motion
come into all of this you're seeing
you know
Carnage you're seeing death
you is there a place for emotion in all
of that in real time there really can't
be in real time there can't be for and
that sort of stuff there can be when it
comes to a foreign
sort of thing but but because people are
looking to you to provide leadership
and panic doesn't isn't good leadership
and so one of the reasons why you know
I've asked for when we've had the
practice the preparation the planning is
to make sure there isn't panic and there
isn't emotion because you've got to make
rational decisions and provide
reassurance in a core calm waste you
know you can't go to a cobra meeting and
be historical you've got to explain the
facts what you've ascertained what
you're going to do
what buses are going to be diverted what
tube's going to be stopped you know and
so forth another important thing in
London in that sort of context Stephen
is we can't afford to happen is
reprisals right people wrongly thinking
every Muslim is a terrorist we saw in
America
Post 9 11 you know somebody were in a
turban attacked and killed because
people thought wrongly it was involved
in terrorism in 911 so this that part of
British law in the community community
tensions as well after that incident
happened
um Donald Trump came out and made some
disparaging comments about
about my guess about about you in London
um really kind of mocking what you'd
said
how do you feel about that is it I mean
it's I mean from my point of view it's
an incredibly bizarre behavior for a
wild leader to be taking such a stance
after it's such a tragedy but how did
how did that feel on that day
emotionally
it was odd let me see what I saw it
there's basically an understanding we
have there are certain cities and
certain parts of the world are targets
of terrorists because of our values
because of our way of life and so forth
and you so there's a there's a
solidarity
we saw happen in Paris
uh you know you know we saw it up in 911
right uh and there are other examples
around the world in Manchester the awful
you know events of the Ariana Grande
concert and so forth and so there's
always a sense of solidarity and you'll
you'll see world leaders you know Mayors
and others Sending message of solidarity
and it's unusual it's exceptional
actually
for particularly our closest Ally right
special relationship you saw our primary
prime minister response to 911 you know
Tony Blair George Bush
and you have Donald Trump
responding the way he he does and let's
be frank you know if the mayor of London
wasn't you know somebody of
you know my background my faith and so
forth and he didn't have the views he
had about people of my faith and my
background he wouldn't respond to the
way he did would he has that has that
played a role in how people have treated
you in terms of on the other side of the
aisle people have political views do you
think some of you know I'm reflecting
now on much of what Meghan Markle said
about how like the institutional how
claims about institutional racism
impacting the way she was treated by the
press and by by the institution itself
but but when I think about you being
you know probably Britain's most famous
Muslim
um
you are the mayor of London do you
believe that there has been instances
and there are just generally a bias
because you are a Muslim yourself
and how does that rear its head on like
a day-to-day month-to-month basis
well looking backwards I mean I'm sure
you've read about the uh my first
election campaign in 2016 right my faith
was used against me by my opponents uh
you know you kind of a must remember
links with terrorism so forth and so
forth for no other reason but because of
to be frank my faith right
um and that's why it's so important to
win because had I not won if you're an
Asian or a Muslim or whatever you're
thinking hold on a sec it's not possible
to be the Maryland because you're afraid
that holds you back and that's why
winning was important
for a variety of other reasons as well
but you know the thing about our city
is not understanding the prejudices
against the religion that I practice
because a minority of terrorists do bad
things use the name of Islam
this city voted for not just an ethic
minority
or just a religious minority but the
religion he belongs to is Islam it's
this thing wonderful about our city not
just tolerating difference respect and
embracing and celebrating it as well but
I can't escape the fact that you know
being a Muslim
when we're living in a climate of
islamophobia
has challenges as well it's it's not a
secret it's not I'm not diverging any
breaches of you know National Security
the Christchurch shooter in New Zealand
you know referenced me in his in his
diatribe the Finsbury Park terror terror
terrorist
you know reference me uh in his
terrorist attack in Finsbury uh park
outside uh the mosque you know I'm not
I'm not giving equivalence to Donald
Trump in relation to terrorists but
Donald Trump
for a period of time was obsessed with
me and so that leads to you go to social
media some of the stuff that I get on
social media right uh you go to uh some
of the far-right groups some of the
stuff I received there some of the
you know in Virtual Commons mainstream
journalists who use me as clickbait they
know if they use my name it's going to
attract traffic to their social media
channels they know that and because
you're a Muslim but of course it is
right because we know
that there's a currency there's a
currency right uh you know and we know
for reasons that you know you know
aren't fair to Muslims the vast fast
fast majority
yeah who live in the west love the West
uh Laura Biden and so forth but the
actions of a small minority means we're
all labeled we're all demonized and so I
was reading the independent and it was
they were talking about the death
threats you'd received on social media
you'd come out and talked about some of
the comments that people had made to you
calling you a
um words that I probably can't even
repeat and I won't repeat to be fair
um but very derogatory racist uh
homosexual at times terminology towards
you which oftentimes included death
threats
um the independent had written an
article showing what those those threats
were have you ever felt like your safety
was at risk yeah it's been a few times
yeah yeah uh uh and that's one of the
reasons why you know and I have pleased
protection not because I asked for it
for a year I said no
and in the end
my wife and my chief of staff said
you've got to take it because
two reasons because if I'm out with my
family their personal safety is being
compromised right uh I can't have that
uh if I'm out with my staff working
the person said he's being compromised
and I'm not willing to take that risk
either and so uh you know there'd be in
specific threats
but the problem with police protection
is it means you lose your spontaneity so
you know I came here by tube uh I'm not
you know the police officers on on the
tube with me right you wouldn't know
they were there you know um and so forth
but they've got to be with me when I go
to a restaurant when I go to the cinema
and I'm walking my dog when I'm getting
the tube right and so like it restricts
my ability to just you know have you
ever been
genuinely worried about your safety a
couple of times yeah there's an occasion
where uh yeah there's been a number of
occasions I probably I don't want to
give them the credit by making them know
that I was scared and worried about my
safety because you know they'll think
they can do it again but there have been
occasions even with police protection
about Proxima Berlin you know but I've
asked them to just you know keep a
distance because I don't want them to be
next to me like I mean I'm a celebrity
or the Prime Minister you know I I like
the fact that I'm a normal Joe uh and I
try and be as much as I I can but there
have been times yeah of course they have
um
uh as mere but there have been times
I've been more of a security before I
was me you know when you know and you
know and that's
you know you know 911 was traumatic for
a variety of reasons thousands of people
lost their lives it was just awful what
it did though was it gave it gave
permission for people to treat all of us
you know in a way that I'd not
experienced before so when I was growing
up
the p word the N word the W word
sometimes used
and you know
my white friends black friends and me
knew that was that was like that was we
see the Red Mist and they'd be fine
right you couldn't yeah and but
it was never about faith and I'm not
saying one is better than the other and
stuff right but something happened
where
um it became about faith uh and the
islamophobia stuff uh and there is still
a great sense of solidarity in relation
to people who still defend me who aren't
Muslims and stuff right
what it does is a number of things
firstly if you're a mum or dad and
you're you know and you're Muslim and
your son was thinking about Korean
politics or public life you say you know
what
if someone likes that he can't get in
that sort of stuff
I don't really want you to get involved
in politics or and this happens a lot if
you're somebody who is wants to amplify
my social media or be supportive
and you do it and then you get this
diatribe of hate because you've done
that there's two responses
a 9 out of ten people say I had no idea
that you received this stuff how can I
help
I'm one out of 10 people say you know
what
this is a bit too much you know I'm not
I'm not gonna actually has it ever
affected you personally
um sleepless nights
in relation to
hate abuse I worry about my I want to
make sure my wife and kids are safe for
me I'll make sure they're safe
um
at the moment I've got the you know I'm
I'm lucky I've got a police protection
team keeping me safe right
um but we you know the City Halls you
know receives threats and you know so
this where this ridiculous situation
where because of the hatred against me
people are writing letters and emails to
City old staff who in the previous 16
years
haven't had this we've had enough since
2000 and we would now provide our staff
and this isn't objective the rejected
space that's receiving hatred but we've
got a duty appear to our staff right our
staff are traumatized upset all the rest
of it so we're now going to support our
staff in ways never done before so that
keeps that worries me the fact they've
impacted my staff reading this stuff the
emails
uh reading the letters that come in the
image of my staff reading the social
media the impacts of my family reading
this uh uh stuff I'm not going to allow
anybody to change my behavior I will not
cower but also I will not let you know
if you're bullying me but I feel it so
even if I was being affected and I'm not
I wouldn't tell the guys that I'm being
affected because it gives them it gives
them Solace it gives them Comfort it
means they've won I'm not going to do
that but but in this kind of medium I
think there is value in Sharing showing
those sharing that because people don't
realize right so it's it's a world that
we don't know so we don't care about so
we don't as a society do anything about
because we don't even know it exists I
mean much of what you've said is news to
me the fact that you're telling me your
staff need
I'm presuming psychological support
because of the amount of abuse you're
getting and at the heart of that is your
your religion
and you race
so often
other things will come into it but you
just have to read just just when you get
a chance you know it's not good for your
mental health but when you get a chance
you just have a look at some of the
stuff that that people say about me and
it's not all Bots by the way but it has
infected you because I can tell you I've
had abuse targeted me and it affected me
and I don't mind saying that because I
think it's just it's just the truth to
be fair so has it ever
has there ever been you know
anxiety worries no no it's affecting me
in the sense that you know I've spoken
to
social media companies and others about
the responsibility they have about their
algorithms about you know employing
staff to take the stuff off
you know my staff not me I reported some
of this stuff to the police and actually
in particularly at some of the people
who've said some of this stuff because
the assignment elements of uh I think
there are issues here
about the ease with which uh social
media allows people with hateful
spiteful racist criminal views have
those views Amplified where they weren't
20 years ago so 20 years ago 30 years
ago so when I was growing up right you
could only bully me if you saw me in a
playground or if you saw me down the
street you could call me names that way
you could maybe write me a letter if you
knew where I lived
now you can do it from your bedroom
without even being in the same city as
me the same country as me anonymously
anonymously as well and some of these
algorithms amplify this and and some of
these people have got big followings and
they all jump in the bandwagon uh as
well and so you know there is a problem
there in relation to how we deal with
this stuff but also listen it's
happening to you speak to
a girl in a secondary school some of the
stuff she now will receive so you know
you know black is going to school now
in their bedroom on social media right
and so you know this is not just an
issue for me I don't want anybody to
feel sorry for me but it's an issue for
everybody for everyone covid speaking of
mental health I heard you said that
during the covered period you you did
suffer a little bit with your own mental
health can you give me some detail on
what you mean by that yeah look before
we came I know we're talking about you
know return to the office and stuff and
I'm somebody who by the way you don't
realize this at the time
so I'm somebody who I now realize
thrives on working with people being
around people uh on company right and I
didn't really appreciate that until the
pandemic
uh and I'm lucky I've got a decent sized
home my my daughters came up from
University
my wife we got on really well we do you
know and so we can give each other space
and stuff and so I've got a garden we've
got a dog
but I realized
there was a
there wasn't a light bulb moment
but I
but on hindsight I realized
I stopped shaving you know I you know I
burnt jogging Bobs all day
uh I I wasn't as communicative
um of course I'd shave if I was doing
you know morning breakfast shows or
whatever
uh I'll I didn't have my mojo I'd like
to think that I can Inspire my team I I
you know you know you know it's like
when you you manage people right
I didn't I just didn't I just I I was
saying not quite right and I couldn't
I didn't know that in real time I didn't
you know
but they were saying and and on
hindsight what I realized was
that there were things I did
in my normal life
that gave me mental Fitness and it was
not a physical fitness mental Fitness
right
and because I wasn't doing those
I was suffering mental ill health now I
fortunately I needed to be medicalized
but it meant I had to think about the
things I want to do
to keep mental my mental health well and
I struggled and on hindsight
there was a period of time where
I I wasn't top of my game uh because I
now am and because you know after a
while I realized this and was taking
steps to address that
and I realized I can't
work from home in perpetuity I I need to
be around people I need that buzz
whether it's the banter on the tube
whether it's meeting my staff whether
it's that conversation before I go into
the office the team meeting
I didn't realize
that's what helps me
keep my mental health but also makes me
you know be effective and it's other
things you know sport I didn't realize
how important sport is to me I didn't
realize not playing tennis not going for
a run
not playing football I didn't realize
that because I thought I did have to
keep I thought I did that to keep
physically fit not realizing actually
it's an internal part in my mental
well-being when you when you think about
your your job as mayor over the last you
know
since you were elected mayor where where
do you think you've let yourself down
[Music]
well that's a good question
um I think I think you alluded to this
early on but the seven days a week stuff
when you speak to most experts and I
speak lots of privilege you know
speaking to you speak lots of people who
they said that they say that's really
important to get the balance right in
relation to
being fresh for the time we've got to be
on my response is I'm on quite a lot uh
so I've got to use a time when I'm off
to make sure I recharge on batteries
and so I think that pacing myself you
know I've tried to run a marathon as a
Sprint what about policies things you
would have liked to have gotten done but
you've not been able to get done a lot
of people have leveled the you know
things like housing and will we be
carbon neutral by 2030
um what are the things you look at and
go do you know I failed there yeah well
I'm not gonna answer that question
honestly when I'm running for election
in 467 days time right because the
answer is going to use against me but
let me tell you something we've got
we've done lots of right as well as to
suffered a vlog I think the biggest
thing is that like a real thing where
you can't tell the truth because someone
might use it against you actually I
think the thing that I've been at least
effective about and I've said this
before is is uh by that we've not
managed to play the government the
importance of developing more powerful
resources to London the governments
my dad used to say that you know you
should judge somebody about the friends
you keep right I've got a different I've
got a different saying which is Judge
Somebody by their enemies
you know and the government don't like
me right and so the politics is the main
reason and so the government
and I think I've I've sometimes not
helped because of my pugilistic nature
and I I I I worry
have London has been let down because
the government see me as an enemy not
giving London the support they would
give if somebody else was the mayor and
so I've tempered you know since I won
re-election I've tempered some of that
because I realized I can't allow my my
natural adversarial nature my dislike of
the government to get in the way of
doing business with the government so
that's that's the honest answer but by
the way I meant what I said about this
when you said tongue-in-cheek well can
you not be honest yeah because I'm still
in the game right so when you ask a next
politician
questions like that they'll give you a a
candid answer but you can't exactly look
it's not asking ask us Tyson what's the
weakness in your game what what you know
you you wouldn't do that I'm not
sometimes in Fury uh but I'm still on
top of my game it's really interesting I
I partly think it's an interesting game
politics and and all this stuff but a
game it's not a game you just said
you're still in the games I'm using your
word but it's an interesting game to me
because I don't feel like politicians
can ever be truly themselves they can't
truly speak their mind and I am part I
wonder if that's actually acting against
them I think there's almost this
political kind of
um this political I don't know
philosophy or whatever where you kind of
have to be a little bit cagey you kind
of have to never really answer a
question you kind of have to to get by I
said no so to his credit Trump the thing
he did and I hate to say Trump did
anything well but the thing he did you
know what you're getting with this guy
whether it's good bad driven by
narcissism whatever
you have this sense that he's telling
you what he thinks I've got at least 17
responses to them let me give you a
couple
so one is which is interesting is I
think Trump's one of Trump's tweets that
he said against me was hashtag
Stone Cold loser describing me right
well he lost his re-election I didn't
true right so he's a one-time president
right Barack Obama isn't even George W
bush isn't do you think about it
uh he's gonna try come back uh he's got
a good chance I think DeSantis will
probably get the Republican nomination
I'm coming back honestly
uh well I wanted to come back and be
beaten so yeah so I think I think
politics uh you know the reason why I
said about you know I'm still in the
game is because it's a good metaphor
because I I you know I learned a lot
from Sports I love sports and stuff and
a lot of leadership skills I get from
sports but let me tell you why why
you're both right and wrong in relation
to your observation which I think is I
think is is right and it's wrong
so when you're an MP I think you're
right I think most MPS
have got to be inauthentic on Ty because
in Parliament
a thing called Collective responsibility
and you've got to stay in your lane for
a start so if you're a transport
minister
you can really enter that transport
because if I review about health it'll
it'll annoy the health secretary
or if I've got a view about foreign
policy or health effect it'll upset the
foreign secretary right
orb the budget and so you've got to stay
in your lane which is which is a
frustration because you've got to stand
by the policies they've got in their
other areas right it's going to be
inauthentic
um but also this thing called collect
responsibility so inside the cabinet
what happens is
if there's a good strong prime minister
there'll be an argument and discussion
inside cabinet about policy
you can have a different view you can be
honest then
once you reach a view when you leave the
cabinet all of you
have on a defend that view and be
Advocate with you and that's why you're
spot on so and it reminds me being a
lawyer I that I've got to say hand on
heart there were cases I had where I
didn't agree with the brief or like it
but I had to argue the case I was the
lawyer right and the same goes we were
MP the difference when you're the mayor
or the president
you can be yourself so what's Labor
getting wrong
um
I think lots of things right to be fair
come on there's no I mean I think I
think you know but when I think about
the last two three years since Kia
became leader we've got a lot of things
right I think the frustration voters
have which I think is not fair is we're
not putting enough flesh in the detail
right and there's a reason for that I
explained so so the answer your question
direct answer is we're not giving enough
retail policy
enough reasons to vote late labor
yes time for change is effective but but
people would say what lab is getting
wrong is not giving details of policy my
response is hold on a sec
you've got a peek at the right time the
general election might not be until 20
months away so if Rachel Reeves had a
chance and I came up with a policy on on
the budget
well the economy in 20 minutes time is
going to be very different from the
economy now how can she honestly be
asked to give a tax and spend policy now
well Kirsten announces a great policy
the windfall levy on energy companies
sunak Nixa dilutes it a bit so soon it
gets the credit or not care your best
policies have been stunned so this is
and so the point is you've got to peek
at the right time and the power ration
has got to come in the weeks before
that's interesting Direction because the
question question I asked is what's
Labor getting wrong
and you didn't answer that you didn't I
didn't explain it's just the reasons
that's the public perception of the
Labor's getting wrong yeah I'm saying
what do you think Labor's getting wrong
yeah but but Steve that's my point
listen if you say nothing that's fine no
no no listen but my point is
that that there's two points of that one
is
uh I say this with respect and love you
know advice I give to care giving
private not in public right that's the
first thing and secondly
there's a general election in 20 months
time
and you know my point about you know we
have a you know I'm still in the game is
is you know I want to make sure that
privately the views I've got about
whatever's getting wrong I sorted out
before the general election rather than
telegraphing to the opposition things
were getting wrong so they can you know
using the boxing metaphor you try and
not curious armor out and that's but
that's kind of similar to what you were
saying about the
and MPS having to kind of
stay stay in the lane because they can't
be critical of anything else that's
happening around them I get it it's a
party I guess that's how the system
works but as a as a muggle he doesn't
really isn't that interested well I'm
interested in politics but I'm not
heavily engaged but here's your handsome
though Stephen
and it's a good conundrum to have
which is the next general election
probably
one of two people named prime minister
right sunak or cursed armor unless sunac
is goes the way of listro and Boris
Johnson right
and so politics isn't perfection it's
relativism and so you've got to choose
between one of these two there's no
there's nobody else it's not Kirsten or
perfection
it's the appearance of perfection right
because as you said she's perfect though
In Our Lifetime but that's what I'm
saying it's the appearance of it in the
sense that like you can't criticize
labor
so I can't believe me I can look
publicly I mean so publicly in the last
in the last two weeks I criticized labor
right on brexit I Believe brexit's been
an unmitigated disaster right I believe
uh that uh we've got to be much closer
to you and that includes by the way yes
outside the EU now we are outside the U
but being members of the single market
and Customs Union that is not Labor's
policy right how does labor get back in
power when I was younger listen again if
I'm wrong about any of this political
stuff please like with my dates and
stuff please forgive me but I'm just
saying um when I was younger laborer in
power and then since pretty much over
the last 10 years labor labor haven't
been back in power what's Labor getting
wrong why isn't resonating with the the
voters and how does labor go about
fixing that so the last
hundred years I mean we've only been in
power for a third of that to give you an
idea of you know uh you know we're not
the man united of politics you know uh
and so uh a number of things we want to
do to win back power first we've got to
change ourselves so we've got a the
first part of it is
reorganizing labor ourselves so internal
stuff the internal wiring is wrong right
what's wrong with it
so so this idea that anybody is
successful you know we've got to bash
this idea that we you know that the way
we fundraise for our party the way we
um employ staff and Fire Staff this
sense of you know uh nepotism and stuff
there's lots of things we've got wrong
you know um in the last few years you
know we sort ourselves that including
organization employ the right people get
rid of the wrong people uh have a you
know have proper social media campaign
that sort of stuff proper campaigning
techniques or so the internal stuff
you've got to do the stuff you don't see
how we select candidates right all that
sort of stuff right
the second part of it is Be an Effective
opposition expose the Tories and call
them out when they get things wrong we
can't rely up on the mainstream media
you know eight percent of the major
media is supportive of the conservative
party right it's just a fact
so we've got to Be an Effective
opposition in calling them out and hold
them to account right including stuff
um that would otherwise not be seen so
call them our relation to policies on
the economy uh you know call them on the
policy relation to Health Service call
them arrested policy of Education
um and the third part which is the
crucial part is to show the country
we've got policies to Be an Effective
Government and that's that's my point
about the perception is we've not done
the third part yet and my answer is
holding this door 20 months to go my
point is this
I don't want to win election
because it's time for change by itself I
want you to be inspired and Infused to
vote labor because of our policy offer
and that's your challenge back to me
saying what's your opponent why vote
labor right that's interesting I've been
doing a lot of reading over the last
couple of weeks because I'm writing my
new book and I've spent you know a good
30 days in total probably in the jungle
reading about psychology and why people
um what makes people behave and act and
whatever and the the uh the clear answer
from all of that research that I've done
and all the studies I went through going
back almost 100 years was that people
responded emotionally instead of to
logic and so when you say that you need
to lead with better policies and stuff
it kind of goes it stands in the face of
all of this like psychological research
I've been reading that says in fact
people are illogical emotional beings
that are driven by their fears and
desires and when I think about politics
honestly right and I'm just being
completely honest I I think a lot of it
is actually just a very
instinctive feeling about the person
you know and this is why I go back to
the point about authenticity and why I
really struggle with politicians
sometimes is
they just don't feel hit like humans
they feel like these like robots that
can't say anything or can't speak their
mind and I just honestly I get that my
my view with labor is if they manage to
get someone in to lead the party who
felt like my mate that I could I kind of
related to and tell me the good and the
bad and was just a bit of a normal
person not a suit not super rich not
whatever didn't go to eating or whatever
it is talking about both sides here I
actually think they'd win I think from
many people and Boris Johnson did win
right let's look if the test was and the
test was who do I wanna have a
cappuccino with yeah
or who do I want to figure out the
government finances get us through the
pandemic uh mend our relationship with
Europe
there's a different answer be and I
you're right it's an emotion and so
there's a great phrase right you
campaign in poetry and you government
prose because exactly it's the emotion
right yeah you know the emotion is
really important but my point is is
we see where it's got our country where
has emotion got our country and so I
think actually one of the failures of
politicians and I I also plead guilty
is we've lost the Arts to be good
teachers right political education is
lacking in our country and so I think a
good politician should use his or her
role
in an unpatronizing way to educate
people you know you had to come you ask
me really good questions about crime
right now the easy thing to say you know
just lock them up let's arrest ourselves
out of this right that place your
emotion because you want the people who
burgled your home
to be arrested
put in prison and the keys run away
right probably I'm just afraid right
but actually it's my job to in an
unpassionate way try and educate you
without excusing criminality but saying
it's a bit more complex than that right
yeah but you understand though I sat
here I get it I sat here with a
neuroscientist called tally Charlotte
and she has basically written a book
about this about how the brain um has a
default towards listening to emotion she
actually referenced Trump she said in
that debate with the with the doctor I
think it was in the 2008 elections or
2012 elections when asked about the
autism vaccines
the
the Doctor Who Um Trump was up against
in the debate reference facts stats and
figures
trump it then comes to Trump and he
tells a story about one of his mates
with a big needle you know he uses all
of this descriptive emotional
storytelling language and tally even
though she knows the science around
vaccines she said
she was a little bit put off giving her
daughter
the autism vaccine after hearing Trump
even though she knew it was nonsense and
for me that just goes to show the power
of like emotion and storytelling versus
the feeble influence that status I saw
in the brexit campaign right so what
happened exactly is is Nigel farage and
his lot put up this poster yeah but NHS
and about it the poster was a queue of
syrians
given the impression that they're going
to flood our country because of the
turkey allegedly joining the European
Union and emotionally that played to
people's concerns around immigration I
mean brexit was a proxy of immigration
right and so it was an emotional stuff
because rationally
it doesn't make sense if you work for
Nissan in Sunderland to be voting to
leave the EU because you know your your
boss is going to be affected by it right
because it's and so I don't disagree
with what you're saying your analysis I
get it it's emotion rather than rational
my point is
yes that's true in relation to human
behavior but actually at the same time
we've got to be explained to people that
actually it is an X Factor
it's about who's the best person to run
our country and sometimes that person
you know does is not going to be sexy is
not going to be charismatic some
sometimes he will be another a course of
an election and a campaign he can't be
personality comes out because you're
right personality does matter to an
extent but actually you know I want our
leaders to know how to you know how you
know how balance she works understand
what makes a business tick understands
the importance of Entrepreneurship job
creation Public Service stuff I want
that too it's just it just seems like
deep innate in human psychology is this
desire to be motivated most by our fears
our desires and and our emotions versus
logic and sense and maybe this is a
little bit of a skewed perspective I
have because I've spent the last 30 days
reading about this psychology and why
people are influenced but
um but the thing is to listen I wanted
to ask on the positive side what are you
what are you most proud of
um following your tenure so far as
London mayor what are the things that
you go do you know what we really had an
impact here for the development of
londoners air qualities that the obvious
example think of God I walk when I was
walking in from the tube station I saw
the ultra Mission Street uh that Hackney
had done really really uh well so we've
managed to so you don't see this stuff
um none of us sees this stuff but if we
were grown up in London in the 50s you'd
see the smoke
right because the power stations you
could see it usually couldn't walk
because that's more than more than a
minute and a half it was it was a killer
as well so we can't see the nitrogen
Dark Side the nitrogen oxide the
particular matter certainly the carbon
emissions but at least more than four
thousand premature deaths a year at
least to children having stunted lungs
at least to adults with a whole host of
health issues me included asthma
premature heart disease deaths cancer
and so forth we've managed to in two
years reduce the toxic care in the
centralized City by half and we're
improving it more across our City's air
quality is obviously a big one Council
housing you mentioned uh housing we last
year Well actually the last few years we
have completed more homes in London
because of our policies than any year
since the 1930s more Council homes than
any Asians 1970s more generally
affordable homes than any year since
records began not enough we've got to do
much more to increase Supply to meet uh
demand slightly shy of your goal
uh no my God is much more so my target
is 50 000 and but we're not going to get
there and I've said to the government we
need more support and it's actually
There's an opportunity if there's a
recession coming because of the way the
counter Central nature of the property
Market we can have more home buildings
actually that creates jobs and people
paying taxes and so forth look what
we've done in public transport my first
five years we froze fares the night tube
are up and running uh you know we've got
buses going all across London now more
buses too many more kilometers of buses
next year the Elizabeth line uh the
northern line extension parking
Riverside extension look at what we
talked about relationship mentors a
hundred thousand young people have a
mentor made progress in reducing uh
crime invested in young people and if
you're elected again
what's your number one Focus for London
it's all about a future where you know
we can deal with the the four issues
which are really important
fairer City so those who you know uh
need a helping out get the helping hand
a safer City I think I think
the perception is our city isn't safe on
address the reality and the perception
uh Garena City we've got to reduce
carbon emissions I was the first Global
City to declare a client emergency I've
changed the next genotype in 2050 when I
won't be around as the mayor 2030 right
will we get there and uh uh yeah but
only a third of the powers I've got the
other two thirds we need government
support retrofitting building sites uh
so forth the transport we've got we're
making progress there but you think
we're gonna uh yeah and if there's a
change of government in two years time I
hope they will be with care as prime
minister we definitely will get there
and the more prosperous city as well I
think I think our competitors are also
our collaborators the parises the
Singapore's the Hong Kongs the New Yorks
but there are competitors as well good
more prosperous
you're 52 now right yeah if you were to
um God forbid if you were to
If This Were to be your last day
what regrets would you have about the
life you've chosen to live and how
you've lived it
crikey
um
maybe not work for seven days a week
maybe more time with with my family
um
I don't think I've seen enough of the
world
you know I've only ever lived in two
tonight it's been three years in North
London one year in godalming at Law
School uh when I was in Guildford
uh I mean I've seen the world as a
tourist right but not not I'm not really
experienced it you mentioned the long
time you spent in the jungle and stuff
and I've not I've not done that maybe
I'm I missed that
um
got a picture here for you that's my dad
he passed away was it two thousand
September the 4th 2003.
um I remember vividly it was
it was the one thing in my life that's
that's really knocked me sideways
um
and
I still grieve my dad you know
um and I've never got help even though I
was struggling the time
because I think I think
you should grieve for people you love it
should affect your mental illness it
should uh debilitate you
um
he was this amazing man you know this
was a guy who
um
no ways of Graces
watch the news he'd read the papers he
would spend time with the kids he would
you know he would never say no to
overtime in the garage never say what's
on the garage
thoroughly decent man he when he retired
he would spend time in the mosque he was
the mazim the moisin is the guy that
doesn't hold a prayer did you did you
did you get to did you speak to him
properly no no that's that's a regret
that we didn't get the quality you know
Anisa was
my eldest daughter was
five when it four when he passed away
Mara was two that didn't get the name
really I didn't have the he would have
loved me being a man he would have loved
you know my support in a Southern
Cathedral with the swearing ceremony how
old were you when he passed away I was
33 and what I think about it I was too
young when he passed and you know I
didn't I was depressed at the time I was
depressed you know I saw this boy that
that this I wasn't I wasn't functioning
I threw myself I threw myself into work
um shortly after I ran to be the labor
candidate actually because that's how I
got through this uh time but I think
about my youngest brother was only 25
when he passed and and I was and and
we've now I think since we've had kids
that's that's made us much more touchy
feeling talking about feelings and stuff
we hug and we say I love you and stuff
and we are there words unsaid to him
yeah without a doubt what are those
words
um
yeah they're between it they're between
him and me to be honest but um
we have a closing tradition on this
podcast where the last guest asks a
question for the next guest
um not knowing who they're leaving it
for you will know who this person is but
I can't tell you
um
the question they've left is everyone
gets really nervous when I get to this
question I don't know why it's weird
nobody cares about my questions but then
when this one comes it takes people
forever to answer if you could give one
piece of advice to yourself at the start
of
your life what would it have been
that's a good one
um
enjoy the experience
why that
because often
I don't know if you get to do it you're
so busy you don't get to enjoy it
uh
when you speak to people who have we
talked with
talked teasingly about being an
exposition
they they follow the memory
but they didn't enjoy the experience
and I remember saying I remember famous
footballer Gary Neville been interviewed
said he didn't really enjoy it and I
think I found it odd you know you you're
not enjoying the experience uh and so I
enjoy the experience you know and
actually
you know when you're ambitious you're
always trying to do the next thing right
and it's and I think ambition is
important is important to you know to
have you know
a grasp greater than your reach
but in the meantime enjoy the experience
have you enjoyed the experience loved it
I loved it but you know about that but
but question am I saving it with my
friends and family enough have I just
been too busy and too blinkered in
relation to
in relation to sharing the enjoyment
experience
um and I tried I tried doing that more
as I try and I try and include
silent the girls more in the stuff that
I do to make sure they enjoy the
experience and my friends and and you
know my my family and so forth
thank you thank you for your time um and
thank you for being here I am I'm very
as I said I'm very compelled by by
politicians and the world of politics
because it's it's not a world that I
know necessarily well but it's world
world that I observe with great Intrigue
and and wonder
um I'd say dissatisfaction largely the
cylinder just because it just seems to
be so far away from the like what I love
about I don't know humans these
politicians you admire either overseas
or here
um I loved Barack Obama I thought he was
Great America yeah I know yeah exactly I
think I think because he he felt
incredibly human I remember watching him
cry on after Sandy Hook and I he just
felt like a good man with a good family
and good morals and I kind of felt like
he had
he'd uh he was he was authentic
um that's a good one yeah I think he's
probably he's my number one
um the problem is you set your bar so
high I know none of us are Barack Obama
yeah I know but I think everyone has the
potential to be to to anything
Obama's an easy one who else
oh gosh
I like Bernie Sanders as well another
guy that I just I I connect with and I
think he's very authentically driven
um to make the world a better place
um and I see that in your story as well
I see you know when you hear your your
upbringing and you hear you know what
your parents went through and your
grandparents went through and that the
plight of your
um those that came before you you see
that you can see a clear reason why
sometimes I struggle with that sometimes
I struggle to understand why people are
going into politics I think it's because
of status or because they want to be
famous or they want power and now
um
but but I don't see that in you I don't
see you know you had a very well paid
job before you chose to to embark on
this career path and your origin story
is riddled with all the motivation one
would need to pursue such a path so
so thank you thank you for coming here
today um I wish you the very very best
on your re-election
um I I applaud you on the fact that
knife crime has gone down since you
became
um mayor of London and I would hope that
by the time you leave office the city
feels a lot safer than it currently does
for me I really do hope we hit our um
carbon emissions targets by 2030 we're
able to build more housing and I hope
London holds its status in the world as
a place that people want to come live
and stay long long beyond their own sort
of personal successes So yeah thank you
so much
at the start it's very uncomfortable for
me to hear that but it's important you
hear that and this is one of the things
I've tried to do is is rather than well
it's very easy and you're very generous
in your comments about me and my faith
and my my background
to be the only person in my position who
looks like me I get this there's this
you know there's only one of me right
what's fun and and the same goes for you
but what you do which is which I've
tried to do as well in different ways is
put down letters for others right
because there shouldn't just be one guy
like you there should be many others
like you and the same goes in politics
as well and I meant what I said because
the interesting about you and the same
applies to these useless you you ever
watch what Idris Elba does or
resolvement all these other guys
their work ethic and what worries me is
somehow
somebody's told young people you can get
rich quick
there's a shortcut to being
the mayor or running the law firm or
being a successful entrepreneur or being
a pop star you ever listened to what Ed
Sheeran did before they became
successful or Adele
or stormzy that work ethic and I've met
what I said about you because listen
obviously there aren't many people in
your oppositions who look like you has
to be frank who dress like you who talk
like you who've got your backstory now
you've never asked to be a role model
right
you will never meet people who look up
to you but it's a fact right and so I'm
not gonna say I'm the mayor right and my
job is to you know do this thing what I
call the Learning promise
work hard I'll give you the help in hand
you can be anything and I and I love the
way you do it with with ease and make
people feel if I can do it you can do it
and that's that's not because you don't
say it like it's easy I did it
but if I can do you can do it but you've
got to work hard yeah and I'm really
happy I'm really happy that we have a
London mayor that looks like you you
know your presence alone is London mayor
is a really Positive Single signal to
lots of young
um ethnically diverse kids that are
hoping to set foot in politics and it's
a real shame that you've been treated in
terms of the death threats and the
online abuse and such of all the way but
unfortunately that seems to be the
nature of nature of the world and social
media hopefully we can change that
thanks a lot
hahaha
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Ask follow-up questions or revisit key timestamps.
The podcast features an in-depth interview with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, covering his background as the son of immigrants, his career progression from a lawyer to a politician, and his motivation for public service. They discuss the challenges of maintaining a work-life balance, the impact of his role on his family, and the realities of dealing with hate speech and threats due to his faith and race. The conversation also addresses specific issues in London, such as safety, knife crime, air quality, and the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire and terror attacks. Furthermore, they explore the complexities of politics, the importance of leadership in times of crisis, and the necessity of authentic role models for future generations.
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