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Sadiq Khan: The Dark Side Of The Police. How Safe Are We REALLY? | E216

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Sadiq Khan: The Dark Side Of The Police. How Safe Are We REALLY? | E216

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2698 segments

0:00

Frank Donald Trump was obsessed with me

0:02

the mayor of London wasn't somebody of

0:04

my background my faith he wouldn't

0:06

responded the way he did would he mayor

0:08

of London City Khan is the first Muslim

0:10

man has made some powerful opponents the

0:13

new image of Britain's Multicultural

0:15

Society the mayor is with us do you

0:17

think London's safe uh well we've

0:20

reduced homicides live crime family

0:22

crime I don't think people feel safe in

0:24

London I'm not excusing it I'm

0:25

explaining it because of consequences

0:27

there's been a lot of instances of

0:29

police officers who have attacked raped

0:32

women and girls on the Streets of London

0:34

what are you doing about that we're

0:35

doing it now how am I being criticized

0:38

for this since you were elected mayor

0:41

what are the things you look at and go

0:42

do you know I failed there well that's a

0:44

good question but I'm running for

0:46

election in 467 days time I'm not going

0:48

to answer that question honestly because

0:49

anything else is going to use against me

0:50

you can't tell the truth because someone

0:52

might use it against you I think most

0:54

MPS have got to be inauthentic are Ty

0:56

because

0:58

what's been your hardest day as London

0:59

mayor there's been a few at least 58

1:03

people were killed in the fire at

1:04

grenfell Tower I still remember the

1:07

images I still remember the heat one

1:09

family six people wiped out and a number

1:11

of Terror attacks in London London

1:12

Bridge Westminster Bridge Finsbury Park

1:15

I went to a lot of funerals that summer

1:17

was hard

1:24

I just want to start this episode with a

1:26

message of thanks a thank you to

1:28

everybody that Tunes in to listen to

1:29

this podcast by doing so you've enabled

1:31

me to live out my dream but also for

1:34

many members of our team to live out

1:36

their dreams too it's one of the

1:37

greatest privileges I could never have

1:39

dreamed of or imagined in my life to get

1:40

to do this to get to learn from these

1:42

people to get to have these

1:43

conversations to get to interrogate them

1:45

from a very selfish perspective trying

1:47

to solve problems I have in my life so I

1:49

feel like I owe you a huge thank you for

1:51

being here and for listening to these

1:52

episodes and for making this platform

1:54

what it is can I ask you a favor I can't

1:56

tell you how much you can change the

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course of this podcast the the course of

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the guests were able to invite to the

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show and to the course of everything

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that we do here just by doing one simple

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thing and that simple thing is hitting

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that subscribe button helps this channel

2:09

more than I could ever explain the

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guests on this platform are incredible

2:13

because so many of you have hit that

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2:17

what we want to do together over the

2:18

next year on this show a lot of it is

2:21

going to be fueled by the amount of you

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that are subscribed in that tune into

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this show every week so thank you let's

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keep doing this and I can't wait to see

2:28

what this year brings for this show for

2:29

us as a community and for this platform

2:33

[Music]

2:36

Sadiq

2:41

give me your context I spent a long time

2:43

reading through your Baxter and I think

2:45

it's an especially important place to

2:47

start because it appears to be much of

2:49

your your reason for being and your

2:51

reason for doing so can you take me

2:52

right back

2:53

um I want to hear about Pakistan I want

2:55

to hear about your your earliest years

2:57

in London sure

2:58

so first it's a pleasure to to be on

3:01

this uh Stephen can I just just say two

3:03

things before we start it's not me being

3:04

a sycophant and please don't think I'm

3:06

being patronizing but firstly

3:09

um I think you realize that you're a

3:12

massive role model to so many londoners

3:14

and there are people that you will never

3:16

meet

3:18

who you've had an impact on and so thank

3:20

you firstly for that and and I meet

3:22

people that you don't meet who when I

3:24

say Who's Your Role Models uh and I pray

3:27

you need to give examples of the hard

3:28

work you do uh so so thank you for that

3:31

but secondly congratulations it's always

3:32

lovely to meet someone who's incredibly

3:34

successful

3:35

um who's normal so my my family's uh

3:39

story uh is quite complicated

3:43

uh my grandparents and

3:46

great-grandparents were in India both of

3:49

my mum's side and my dad's side

3:51

and the story of India is India was part

3:54

of the British Empire

3:55

and the short version of the long story

3:57

is in 1947

3:59

the British decided to give up India

4:02

and partition India I don't want to go

4:05

into divide and Rule and stuff but

4:07

there'd been sectarian violence now

4:08

between Muslims Sikhs and Hindus and a

4:11

Muslim in India wasn't safe

4:13

just like a Sikh in Hindu generally

4:15

speaking in West Pakistan news Pakistan

4:17

won't say why because these countries

4:18

were going to be stensibly Muslim and

4:21

the middle India ostensibly Hindu and

4:22

Sikh so my grandparents and great

4:25

grandparents left everything behind

4:26

everything behind

4:28

so my parents had experienced being

4:30

immigrants once already right from India

4:32

to Pakistan and they had a comfortable

4:34

life in Pakistan middle class not middle

4:36

class

4:38

uh my Dad decided he was in the

4:41

Pakistani Air Force he went first to

4:43

Australia uh and

4:46

if any Australians watching this this is

4:48

no expression on your country it's a

4:49

great country right he didn't really

4:51

like Australia and so when he went when

4:54

he went back to Pakistan he didn't want

4:56

to go to Australia to live

4:58

and then he came to London

5:00

and uh he made London his home and this

5:03

is a London which yes when he first came

5:05

there were signs saying you know no

5:07

blacks no Irish no dogs by blacks

5:09

anybody who wasn't white and when I

5:11

compare my mum and dad who traveled you

5:13

know three four thousand miles learned a

5:14

new language learned a new culture

5:16

raised a family

5:17

I was born in Tuten in St George's

5:19

hospital I first lived a mile up the

5:21

road in the Henry Prince estate on a

5:23

council estate my parents moved a mile

5:25

the other way afterwards when my dad

5:26

managed to save a deposit for a house

5:28

and I now live a mile and a half from

5:30

where I was born so I've literally gone

5:31

up a mile radius right from where I was

5:34

born in my grandparents and my parents

5:36

had this huge strife and travel this way

5:39

so I'll be the first Con in three

5:41

generations and not to be a migrant

5:43

because I'm I'm staying here that whole

5:45

experience growing up in a house of 10

5:47

10 people eight siblings in total

5:50

um in a in a council house

5:53

um flat flat yeah Council flat

5:56

um

5:57

the The Immigrant story you've told

5:58

there

6:00

watching your parents struggle to

6:03

provide for both for all of you

6:06

um

6:06

what imprint has that left on you when

6:10

you look back and go that's why I am the

6:12

way that I am that's it's really I'm

6:14

really trying to get at the real

6:15

defining attributes the things that make

6:17

City different from the the average

6:19

person on the street

6:20

the work ethic the piss but you know

6:24

um and with that I also want to know you

6:26

know one of my guests on this podcast

6:27

that was the coach for Michael Jordan

6:28

Kobe Bryant said that we all have a dark

6:30

side and much of our dark side is can be

6:33

attributed to the thing that makes us

6:35

quote unquote great you've seen the Last

6:38

Dance yeah oh God it sounds amazing my

6:40

favorite from upstairs in the wall yeah

6:42

so so

6:43

um

6:44

so I think you tend to

6:48

mirror emulate

6:51

and be like those you're around you copy

6:55

their mannerisms their behaviors and so

6:56

forth and I I was raised in a family

6:58

where

6:59

we felt incredibly privileged mum and

7:01

dad both made sure we understood

7:04

that this privilege meant with a

7:05

responsibility to

7:07

you know listen to your teachers at

7:09

school

7:10

to work hard

7:12

um and you know to to you know not be

7:15

Ashoka basically and so

7:17

you know all of us not just had a really

7:20

good worth of work ethics still do

7:22

all of us also it's interesting I just

7:24

think about this the other night

7:26

I've given saying back whether it's

7:27

coaching in boxing or whether it's you

7:29

know volunteering at a swimming club

7:31

whether it's you know politics or

7:33

whatever

7:34

because that came from our parents what

7:36

we saw in relation and also what we saw

7:38

was going on the estate and how I've

7:39

what our friends are doing and stuff and

7:40

you know

7:41

and the interesting thing about our

7:44

estate was

7:45

everyone worked all the dads worked most

7:48

of the mums had a job and you know there

7:51

was a work ethic and a sense of

7:53

community I'm not pretending it was

7:55

brilliant you know roast into glasses

7:56

and stuff

7:57

but yeah so you know that you know my

7:59

wife often you know jokes that you know

8:01

I can't sit around doing nothing I've

8:02

always got to be doing something because

8:03

I always saw my dad doing something even

8:05

if I went on you know the odd day he'd

8:07

have off he'd take us to museums take us

8:09

to galleries go out on a tour of London

8:12

go to Hyde Park so so there's no there

8:15

was no

8:17

time for doing nothing

8:19

um and so it's really and so I it's hard

8:21

for me to actually spend down time go to

8:24

the theater and just do Leisure or you

8:25

know read a book for

8:27

for the sake of reading a book and stuff

8:28

because you know they were go-getters I

8:31

I saw that throughout your story um and

8:33

I heard it from some of your colleagues

8:35

as well that

8:36

and I also heard you say in fact in one

8:38

interview where you said that you work

8:40

seven days a week

8:43

not very healthy

8:45

yes and no so

8:47

um

8:48

I'm very lucky I'm privileged I'm I'm

8:50

mayor London

8:52

I did a meeting last week with my staff

8:54

and my my sort of top staff and I said

8:57

to them last week listen

9:00

um I would reply for my job

9:02

at the next election

9:04

in this term we have

9:06

475 days left that's now down to four or

9:09

six seven days left at the time we're

9:11

recording this

9:12

we've got to work in the basis but there

9:14

is a possibility I'll try my best that

9:16

it doesn't happen

9:17

the responsibility I will not be

9:19

re-elected when I reply for my job

9:21

londoners will say no

9:23

we've got to use every single day we

9:25

have left

9:26

every hour we have left to make sure we

9:28

maximize

9:30

delivering for our city to make it safer

9:31

to make it fairer to make it greens make

9:33

it more prosperous you can't afford to

9:35

waste this time it's a privilege it's a

9:36

privilege to what about you though in

9:39

your in your family and all the other

9:40

things that make life you know worth

9:42

living it's not just work right yeah but

9:44

but some of the stuff I do is work

9:47

without being work I'll give you an

9:49

example so I might go and support

9:52

uh a theater production my support is

9:56

going along to watch it and they can

9:57

then amplify it I've been there right

10:00

but it's a great night for for my wife

10:02

and I or I might do say with with my

10:04

daughters and stuff you know but I

10:06

recognize that my my wife and daughters

10:09

and my mum and my brothers and sisters

10:11

and my in-laws

10:13

you know have no sacrifices by me doing

10:15

my job you know and I'm cognizant of

10:18

that and I'm grateful for that you can't

10:20

do the job that I'm doing without the

10:21

support of your family by the way you

10:23

can also do this job I work three days a

10:25

week the previous guy did that right you

10:27

can do that right but he meant I felt

10:29

privileged to do the job I think it's a

10:31

privilege and I remember when I was in

10:32

government

10:34

um I don't remember in 2010

10:36

uh the last year I sat around the

10:38

cabinet with uh you know Gordon Brown

10:40

and the team

10:42

and I think there are some incredibly

10:44

talented people around that cabinet in

10:47

the prime of their game

10:50

it's an incredibly talented special

10:51

advisors in the prime of their game

10:54

we lost the general election

10:56

and their Peak years

10:59

they're not in government they're not

11:01

advising the government

11:03

had I known in 2005 when I first became

11:06

an MP and had you know Tony and Gordon

11:08

sat down with

11:10

300 plus MPS and say listen

11:13

we've got to maximize these five years

11:15

between thousand five thousand and ten

11:17

I think things may have been different

11:18

because we'd realize it's a privilege

11:20

we're going to use every day we have you

11:22

know so I'm not criticizing Tony and

11:24

going but I'm saying you don't know how

11:25

long you've got your job right and so my

11:28

views you make the most of it it's time

11:30

to rest later on

11:32

that's also not guaranteed though right

11:34

well you know in terms of Life generally

11:36

yeah but you know I love my job I've

11:39

I've been lucky to have three big jobs I

11:41

was a lawyer for 11 years loved it loved

11:44

being loyal I was a parliamentarian and

11:46

a minister for 11 years loved it but I'm

11:49

neither May I've been the mayor for the

11:50

last six and five years and so if you're

11:52

lucky enough

11:54

to have a job you love and your family

11:55

supportive you've got to have a

11:56

supportive family my wife is so

11:58

supportive she's not just a an

12:00

incredible chead she gives me good

12:01

advice she pulls me up you know when I

12:04

when I bring the arrogance home or I

12:06

have delusions of grandeur you know she

12:08

makes sure I put the bins out she makes

12:09

sure that I'm doing my behaving up

12:11

cleaning up and stuff you need that at

12:12

home that's sort of you need that sense

12:14

of normality home my daughter's Jews I

12:16

mean you know they there's no is the

12:17

greatest in my house they're both back

12:18

home now to finish University they're

12:19

both working

12:21

um and so they're supportive they

12:23

support what I'm doing uh they know I'm

12:25

here

12:26

um it's your wife and I said to her I

12:28

said what are you um what annoys you

12:30

about City

12:31

because I could tell you what my

12:32

girlfriend would say she'd say she said

12:34

Stephen is just an hour and a half how

12:35

long have you got and uh it's Anonymous

12:37

I'm sure there's a long list of stuff I

12:38

mean I think I think uh because people

12:41

don't get to see that the impact that

12:42

being a politician has on the family at

12:44

home now this is one of the things I'm

12:45

super interested in with all my guests

12:47

is

12:48

um how they how that then impacts all

12:50

the people we don't get to see yeah yeah

12:52

it's that's right so what I did at early

12:54

stage was I involved uh my office so my

12:57

my team mouth is a lot of them are now

12:59

my best friends I've worked with them so

13:01

long

13:02

they know my they're not Sadia and they

13:04

know the kids so uh simple things you

13:06

know my team will send Sardi in my diary

13:09

for the week in advance so that's what

13:11

I'm doing the nights I'm out the nights

13:13

I'm in which things should be coming

13:15

along to and so the family's involved in

13:18

that at home we have uh you know on on

13:21

the fridge or which tells us who's at

13:24

home for walking Luna and so forth and

13:25

so we've got it it only works when you

13:28

share what you're doing and stuff my

13:29

wife's got her own you know she's got

13:30

two jobs herself so it only works

13:32

if you know everyone's on the same page

13:35

it does not work and a lot of my friends

13:37

in politics marriage breakups a lot of

13:40

my friends in the law marriage breakups

13:42

you know all the sorts of problems and

13:44

stuff so you've got to have not just

13:46

somebody who

13:48

you know is supportive of you doing it

13:49

but he's an active player and you're

13:51

doing it and you've got to make sure

13:52

that parts of your work life

13:54

are sharing with your home life

13:57

there's a couple of conditions we have

13:58

at home what is the biggest friction

13:59

though that's the question yeah so I

14:01

mean we don't have much friction at home

14:02

I mean work-life balance is an issue uh

14:04

you know me missing another family event

14:06

or or may not be able to go to

14:09

um

14:09

a distant friends or relations social

14:13

event but we don't really do friction

14:15

I'm trying you know trying to think that

14:16

the last time we had

14:18

you know starting management so last

14:20

Saturday for example uh and I I was

14:22

doing something for work and then I

14:25

promised to go to and you know party in

14:27

Eastbourne uh uh an anniversary party of

14:29

a friend and you know and then do same

14:31

back in London on Sunday so managing

14:33

that with negotiating that with my wife

14:35

and my daughters was was quite was Quite

14:37

a feat you mentioned you're a lawyer

14:39

firm um just just more than a decade

14:42

I'm always um I'm always I think the

14:45

word is skeptical I've said this to Matt

14:46

Hancock when I spoke to him about like

14:48

why politicians become politicians

14:51

um

14:52

you had a great job

14:54

you know paid a lot of money you made

14:57

the decision to to quit that job very

14:59

abruptly and go into politics and become

15:02

ultimately a labor MP

15:05

why

15:07

so so the the the sort of the

15:09

qualification to to that question you're

15:11

right by the way that's all right is it

15:13

was the MP for two tin yep so what I

15:16

wasn't going to do is give up my illegal

15:18

Korean by the way it was it wasn't just

15:19

a great little career but a great future

15:21

ahead of me because you know you know

15:23

it's just the two of us around the

15:24

business very profitable gone from being

15:26

you know a business we just employing

15:28

eight people to more than 50 while I was

15:30

a partner

15:31

but the opportunity came to be the MP

15:33

for two teen tuition I was born and

15:34

raised in literally the MP for tuition

15:37

at a guy called Tom Cox had been the MP

15:39

my entire life I'd never known any other

15:41

MP I'd never been inside the Chamber of

15:44

Parliament I didn't know any friends who

15:46

were MPS

15:47

uh I didn't really know any friends in

15:49

politics I don't think I was a counselor

15:51

in my spare time uh look at you know

15:54

serving the local community

15:55

as a lawyer in my spare time I was in my

15:57

spare time I was chair of Liberty Human

15:59

Rights group you know chair of legal

16:01

action group a legal aid charity group

16:04

um but the opportunity came to be the

16:06

MP4 tutin and you know I couldn't say no

16:10

um because you know it was the chance to

16:12

represent my community in Parliament and

16:15

the way I described at the time because

16:16

people saying to me what are you doing

16:18

why it just makes sense

16:20

was you know I was blessed to have a

16:23

good legal career and if I won a case

16:24

for my client

16:26

uh he or she benefited or if I sell the

16:28

case

16:29

if the case went to one of the higher

16:30

courts we'd said a president Senator

16:32

president means that other people

16:34

benefit from the president of the case

16:36

because you've changed the law

16:38

and that's a big deal and you know I was

16:40

blessed to do that but when you're in

16:42

Parliament and you're part of the

16:43

government you can pass legislation or

16:45

amend legislation

16:46

that affects millions of people uh so

16:49

not just people in tutin but people

16:51

across our city and our country and

16:53

being the MP for two-ton uh was why I

16:56

gave up the hill career not to be an mp4

16:58

MP's sake to be the MP for tooting

17:01

why does that matter to you helping

17:03

millions of people it's my it's it's

17:05

public service right it's it's the

17:07

ability to impact and improve people's

17:09

uh lives I could have you know when I

17:10

left when I left Law School

17:12

gotten worked in the city and you know

17:14

being a City lawyer but I chose to do

17:16

the law that I chose to do for a variety

17:18

of reasons you know it's important for

17:19

me to be a lawyer practicing you know

17:21

discrimination or you know issues around

17:23

police misconduct issues around uh

17:26

employment law do litigation sort of

17:28

cases that I that I undertook what

17:29

motivated me was this issue of acting on

17:32

behalf of the underdog

17:34

uh being the advocate for people I grew

17:37

up with who were routinely you know the

17:39

wrong end of the sus law stop and search

17:41

people I knew who were unfairly

17:44

dismissed uh people who you know I was

17:47

aware who had been discriminated against

17:49

you know

17:50

um acting for the victims of

17:52

miscarriages of Justice

17:54

um that was important to me why

17:57

a number of reasons my inspiration for

18:00

being lawyer is uh we read To Kill a

18:03

Mockingbird no I wouldn't be Atticus

18:04

Finch right well you know we wouldn't be

18:06

at Alex's Finch and then and then when I

18:08

watched uh when I was growing up this

18:09

this program on TV you're too young to

18:11

remember it called La law

18:13

I wanted to be this local Fuentes Jimmy

18:15

Smith's played this lawyer who was doing

18:16

this really good cases

18:18

but also remember a number of things

18:19

happened around that time

18:21

where I felt helpless

18:23

uh you know the way my dad was treated

18:25

in his bus garage the bus garage closing

18:27

down felt hopeless we couldn't do

18:28

anything about it you know getting a

18:29

March is fine but you need to challenge

18:31

this in the course if you could if you

18:33

couldn't use the use the the court

18:35

system you want to change the laws you

18:38

know seeing friends Street the way they

18:39

were and and I thought

18:41

it's not wrong but there's no way of

18:43

helping you know people who need help

18:45

and being a lawyer is a noble thing I

18:47

know people I know lawyers get a bad bad

18:49

rep and you know uh some lawyers doing a

18:51

lot of money

18:52

but people who do the law that I was

18:54

doing you know uh don't earn a lot of

18:56

money some do and I was very lucky to to

18:58

do well but it's important to me public

19:00

service to act on behalf of these uh

19:02

people who act some power for the person

19:04

who's the receiving in a police

19:05

misconduct who actually part of the

19:07

person who's uh you know discriminated

19:10

on the grounds of their race or gender

19:12

in the in the workplace so what I got

19:14

from that is your dad was I'm trying to

19:16

understand the personal reasons why you

19:17

chose that path which is like you know

19:19

like we've all chosen our past for

19:22

for interesting reasons I think a lot of

19:24

my path was defined by my own

19:25

insecurities as a kid what I've heard

19:27

though is your the thing about your

19:28

dad's bus

19:30

um Depot being shut down that's garage

19:32

and then there was some of your friends

19:34

in your life had experienced certain

19:36

types of abuse that were

19:38

um because of the

19:40

race or but also mistreatment by the

19:42

police

19:43

that that was your like personal

19:44

motivation right yeah yeah yes so so

19:46

those are my experiences my experience

19:48

growing up was that you know actually

19:50

life isn't always fair and you need

19:52

somebody to be there to help you

19:56

um and it's never been about

19:58

you know it sounds you know uh

20:02

Frankly Speaking about you know

20:04

wankerish but it's never been about

20:05

yourself making money none of my

20:07

siblings

20:08

have you know following followed paths

20:10

which is interesting none of us have

20:12

followed paths where it's been about you

20:14

know making money for money's sake it's

20:15

about doing a job we enjoy

20:17

and trying to give someone back where

20:18

you can whether it's being a teacher

20:19

whether it's being you know a coach or

20:22

whatever

20:23

over the last 10 years in your own view

20:26

which direction do you think London has

20:29

gone in as in terms of like safety and

20:31

in terms of

20:33

um desirability and in terms of world

20:35

influence over the last let's say 10

20:36

years because it's I think it's my view

20:38

that it's it's it's probably gone

20:41

in a negative Direction in terms of like

20:44

influence safety

20:46

um

20:48

and yeah I think generally like the

20:50

respect of the of the capital

20:52

and I think I mean a number of factors

20:54

have contributed to that obviously the

20:55

pandemic has been a big one but then I

20:56

think generally the the knife crime

20:58

issue and the safety issues and these

20:59

are all things influenced by biases

21:01

right because I was when I moved to

21:03

London I was burgled really badly 3 A.M

21:05

in the morning came in my house stole

21:07

everything we never heard anything back

21:09

from the police there was no interest in

21:10

in helping us so

21:12

um but just generally I've lived in

21:13

other parts of the world yeah no sure

21:15

sure you know I lived in the Middle East

21:16

lived in spent time in Dubai's lived in

21:18

New York for many many years

21:20

um New York's not not necessarily safe

21:22

at all but other parts of the world seem

21:25

to be much safer and it's funny because

21:26

when I speak to some of my um

21:28

friends who've been successful in

21:29

business and they talk about why they're

21:31

leaving the UK it's one of the top three

21:34

reasons there's always safety it's

21:35

always I don't feel safe in London

21:37

before I before before you before we had

21:40

this had this conversation I was

21:41

listening to um Amir Khan talk about him

21:44

being robbed on the High Street in

21:45

London coming out a restaurant at

21:46

gunpoint you see the footballers the

21:48

Arsenal players all being robbed at

21:50

knife point on mopeds my girlfriend had

21:52

her phone snatched out of her hand while

21:54

walking you know and you just think oh

21:55

God it's not safe to be in London

21:58

first it's already sort of your

21:59

experience and I wasn't too distressed

22:01

so so if you look at London over the

22:02

last uh 10 years the last 20 years even

22:05

uh if you parked brexit for a second uh

22:08

because we can come back to that in

22:09

relation to the impact of brexit on uh

22:11

London London is a global City uh uh you

22:14

know I don't want to go to various

22:15

metrics but it's we're doing incredibly

22:17

well as a global City in relation to uh

22:20

foreign direct investment

22:22

in relation to uh the diversity of

22:24

people coming to London in relation to

22:27

you know the tourism of London in

22:30

relation to retention of talent

22:32

uh in relation to the diversity of our

22:34

economy it's not just the financial

22:36

services Professional Services Legal

22:37

Services Life Sciences higher education

22:41

um culture Tech so forth so the

22:45

underlying strengths are still there and

22:46

we are doing incredibly well we punch

22:49

well above our weight in relation to the

22:50

rest of the country

22:52

because of how well we're doing we

22:53

contribute roughly speaking every year

22:55

net to the treasury at 42 billion pounds

22:58

and it's been going up over the period

22:59

of time so so we uh you know as a slice

23:02

of the national pie contribute far more

23:04

but then we're supposed to be remind the

23:06

size of our city and it's because we've

23:08

managed to attract talent and keep

23:10

Talent that's why I'm here yeah but the

23:12

reason why I might go is because it's

23:14

okay and so and so one of the challenges

23:16

we've had post brexit to keep that

23:18

Talent here and we can talk about some

23:19

of the stuff we've done to keep it in

23:21

relation to safety it is a fact and I I

23:24

and I'm really sorry for for your

23:26

experience uh genuinely Stephen because

23:28

I've met too many people like you being

23:29

the victims of crime

23:30

but I'm afraid the bad news is since

23:32

2012 uh and nationally 2013 uh serious

23:38

violence has been going up since 2013.

23:40

across our country including London

23:42

London is not separate from the rest of

23:44

the country and feeling the impact

23:46

now without excusing criminality and I'm

23:48

not excusing those people of burglary

23:49

house by the way and I'm not saying this

23:51

for their motivation

23:52

but there is a link between and crime is

23:55

complex causes by the way without

23:57

excusing it you know and I believe very

24:00

simply you've got to deal with it in two

24:01

ways one is to be tough on crime more

24:03

pleasing given the support they need to

24:06

to make sure they deal with the the

24:08

criminals I call it public health

24:09

approach and it comes to explain what I

24:11

mean on top of the complex causes of

24:13

crime in relation to dealing with

24:13

underlying causes deprivation poverty

24:15

elimination inequality and so forth you

24:18

can't escape the fact that since 2010

24:20

we've had massive austerity in this

24:23

country so there had been 21 000 fewer

24:26

police officers across the country in

24:28

the last 12 years that is a fact we've

24:30

got youth clubs that have closed down

24:31

use centers closed down after school

24:33

club's not taking place weekend clubs

24:35

not taking place uh unemployment's gone

24:37

uh High until very recently and so forth

24:40

I'm not excusing it I'm explaining it

24:43

and so uh you know when I became mayor

24:45

one of the things I promised London as I

24:47

would do is to be straight with

24:48

londoners about the problems in relation

24:50

to I was quite clear straight away

24:52

saying listen

24:54

these Cuts have consequences and we've

24:56

got to recognize there were consequences

24:57

so I'm going to use the limited powers I

25:01

have and raise council tax

25:04

that's one lever to bring money in and

25:06

use it to pay for more police officers

25:07

and I was criticized for doing so but I

25:09

had to do it because of your experience

25:11

was when I'd heard too many times before

25:13

so we've paid for 1300 more officers not

25:16

enough but it's what all I can do

25:18

there's a limit how much you can raise

25:20

council tax to it's a regressive tax

25:22

but also use business rates money to

25:24

open up youth clubs again youth centers

25:27

employee youth workers have summer

25:29

schemes we have now 32 000 mentors we're

25:33

going to get to 100 000 of the next two

25:35

three years mentors are crucial in my

25:37

view

25:38

and the good news I'm not complacent at

25:40

all and Amir Khan's experience was also

25:42

awful was the good news is we have

25:45

bucked the national Trend so

25:48

across the country homicides are going

25:50

up in London they're going down we've

25:52

reduced homicides knife crime gun crime

25:55

10 and shopping science burglary since I

25:57

became mayor nowhere near low enough

26:01

uh because we've got to invest more in

26:03

the police and invest more in the causes

26:05

of crime and when I talk about public

26:06

health approach Stephen what I mean by

26:08

that is this

26:09

think of crime as you would a public

26:11

health issue what would you do

26:13

you deal with the infection you've got

26:14

to kill the infection right more police

26:16

officers uh you know go to arrest people

26:19

you've got to stop the infection

26:21

spreading really important we stop you

26:23

know the crime spreading people thinking

26:24

that you can be successful by being a

26:26

criminal we've got to stop it deal with

26:27

the gang so forth but stop the infection

26:30

occurring in the first place stop the

26:32

crime occurred in the first place and

26:34

you know uh it's a source of Pride to me

26:37

we've not made the progress but our

26:39

policies being tough and crime and

26:41

invested in the police and we are

26:43

reforming the police at the same time

26:44

but also invested in young people is

26:47

leading to the turnaround in London and

26:49

we've backed the national trade in

26:50

London and it's a global City sorry as a

26:52

global City

26:53

uh you speak to as I do regularly the

26:56

mayor of New York the mayor of Chicago

26:57

the mayor of La those are our

26:59

comparators with respect not do you know

27:01

it is I just I would just like to feel

27:03

really safe

27:05

and I I when I go to other places if you

27:07

go to a somewhere in the middle east or

27:08

Dubai or whatever it might be you feel

27:10

exceptionally safe

27:12

you know so it's like to be honest I

27:14

went to Indonesia I was Indonesia a

27:16

couple of weeks ago I was in Bali I said

27:17

to my girlfriend I said you could leave

27:18

you could leave your wallet on the floor

27:19

here and it would still be there an hour

27:21

later when you come back you do that in

27:22

London

27:23

you know not only have you lost your

27:25

wallet you probably come back you've

27:26

lost your shoes or something you know

27:27

like and I just it's all sucks so great

27:29

charity generosity and you know

27:30

londoners aren't quite all quite like

27:32

that Stephen I don't think they feel

27:33

safe I don't think people feel safe

27:35

enough and more so if you're Auburn or a

27:38

girl if you think you don't feel safe

27:39

one of the big challenges that we've got

27:40

is making sure that women and girls feel

27:42

safe is this all solvable in your view

27:43

without doubt we saw in the hell we saw

27:46

in the uh 2000s uh you know uh between

27:49

997

27:50

and uh you know the mid-naughties huge

27:53

progress made in reducing crime uh and

27:55

it was dealing with the two things that

27:57

I said you've got to be tough and crime

27:58

top of the causes you're invest in

28:00

policing but also invest in dealing with

28:01

the causes of uh a policing definitely

28:04

solvable we've made progress uh in the

28:06

past we're making progress in London uh

28:08

and now we've got to make sure at the

28:11

same time of course you know we reform

28:12

the police we'll publicize issues in uh

28:14

policing London has got to be the eyes

28:16

in the Years there are some amazing

28:18

citizens in London who you know would

28:21

return the wallet to you uh you know if

28:23

you left it you know if you'd lost it or

28:25

left around in London we'll report

28:27

something taking place we'll come

28:28

forward if they're a witness of crime

28:30

we'll come forward and support the

28:31

police that are victim of a crime we'll

28:33

join the Police Service these problems

28:35

are definitely solvable uh we've done it

28:37

in the past we're doing it now and with

28:40

the possibility you know in the not

28:41

distant future of a you know changing

28:44

government and a government that invests

28:45

in public services it definitely

28:47

solvable

28:48

on the one of the points you made there

28:49

about the infection spreading I thought

28:50

was quite compelling I was reading about

28:52

the the story of um I think it's hars

28:55

rat Wally

28:57

the story of an 18 year old guy who was

28:59

in Twickenham was approached by a 16

29:02

year old kid ended up being stabbed to

29:03

death by Within 18-inch knife because he

29:07

got into an argument with this person

29:08

and when that 16 year old that stabbed

29:10

him to death was asked he said he

29:11

stabbed him because

29:12

he was people in his life had been

29:15

um victims of knife crime and he he

29:17

thought he was scared that

29:18

hazrat would have a knife himself that's

29:21

the infection you're talking about yes

29:22

basically what happens is

29:24

um

29:24

some young people that I speak to

29:27

um will think the way to be safe is to

29:29

carry a knife because

29:31

they suspect you might be carrying knife

29:33

right

29:34

and so we've got to get the message

29:35

across that you know leaving it home

29:37

with a knife doesn't make you more safe

29:40

it makes you less safe

29:42

so if you go to a primary school not not

29:43

a secondary school a primary school

29:45

uh across the country by the way

29:47

and you have a classroom of 30 people

29:50

and you say how many of you

29:53

know somebody

29:55

carrying the knife

29:56

you'll be shocked the number of hands

29:58

that go up in a primary school right

30:01

uh secondary school is even higher and

30:04

so there is this belief amongst young

30:06

people

30:07

that Karen the life makes you more safe

30:09

not less safe and by the way I went to a

30:11

tough Secondary School lots of fights

30:13

nobody even thought about taking a knife

30:14

to school right or getting involved with

30:16

knives at all and you know

30:19

um so we've got to deal with that issue

30:21

at source

30:23

to make sure young people understand the

30:25

dangers so we're going to school

30:26

speaking to young people people with

30:27

credibility you've got to have somebody

30:29

who's the message carrier needs to be

30:31

somebody who kids respect and will

30:32

listen to right and so getting people to

30:35

go into schools to explain the dangers

30:37

sometimes it's a bereaved mum and

30:39

bereaved mum can be really effective in

30:40

explaining the story about her son tends

30:43

to be boys about her son and the dangers

30:46

of carrying the knife so we're going to

30:47

stop it at source we've also going to

30:49

make sure Frankly Speaking that there's

30:51

intelligence-led stop and search because

30:53

if you're covering the knife I want you

30:54

to be stopped and searched if you've got

30:55

a knife taken off you I would bet

30:57

progress in taking knives off people

30:59

which is saving life's weapon sweeps is

31:01

really important but also if you're

31:03

caught having the knife there's got to

31:04

be serious sentences there's got to be a

31:06

consequence of you carrying that knife

31:07

but you know and that's why we're gonna

31:09

have these conversations that's why it's

31:10

the public health approach and it is

31:11

leading to you know huge reductions you

31:13

know over the last year we've had a 55

31:15

reduction in doing homicides not enough

31:18

one is one too many

31:20

uh you know a few homicides last year

31:22

then when I first became uh mayor not

31:24

enough but we're making progress because

31:25

the investment is now starting to pay

31:28

dividends in relation to youth clubs

31:30

youth work going into schools more

31:32

police officers there was a there was a

31:34

big drop in knife crime wasn't there um

31:36

was it 2020 would I say

31:38

so is that the pandemic so the pandemic

31:40

we saw a reduction a number of reasons

31:43

obviously for three months people but

31:44

there was a lockdown and stuff but and

31:46

those that progress we've carried on but

31:47

it's starting to go down before the

31:48

pandemic uh we first started investing

31:51

in it's called the Young londoners Fund

31:52

in about 20 18 19 but it takes some time

31:54

to get youth workers back employed you

31:57

centers back open and also young people

31:59

starting to have these points landed on

32:02

them uh it's not there's not you know

32:04

light bulb moment it's going to take

32:05

time spend time with them that's why

32:06

mentors are so important the reason I

32:08

made the point at the beginning Stephen

32:09

about about you as a role model is you

32:11

know I'm a firm believer and you can't

32:12

you can't be if you can't see it right I

32:15

was lucky I was lucky that I saw at home

32:16

my mum working really hard my dad

32:18

working really hard my Big Brother's

32:19

working really hard I draw models a lot

32:21

of young people haven't got that role

32:23

model at home the youth worker is their

32:25

role model a youth worker is an amazing

32:27

asset to a young person if you've not

32:29

got the role model at home in relation

32:30

to a big brother a friend somebody you

32:33

can ring up somebody give you careers

32:34

advice you know a lot of young people

32:35

don't have to put up a tie right they

32:37

had to shave I can't go for a job

32:38

interview those soft skills we're

32:40

teaching young people now you may think

32:41

why are you teaching young people as

32:42

soft skills because they need those soft

32:44

skills right well knife crimes up since

32:46

last year though isn't it no it's gone

32:48

down so basically knife grounds knife

32:49

ground's gone down since I became mayor

32:51

uh homicides comes down since last year

32:54

no robberies got off a bit Robert's got

32:56

off about for a number of reasons uh

32:57

we're dealing with the uh um yeah uh a

33:01

robberies when you're up yeah out and

33:03

about okay robbery sorry robbery's

33:05

burglary with violence right

33:07

um my last question on that topic is do

33:09

you think London's safe uh well

33:12

I asked that question by your answer if

33:15

you don't feel it's safe it's not safe

33:16

right and so do you feel it safe

33:19

yeah I do because my comparator isn't

33:22

with respect Bali

33:24

or ordered by my comparatories New York

33:26

Chicago

33:27

um those cities because we are a global

33:29

City Stephen uh you know we're not we're

33:31

not Cheshire right and so you know but

33:33

but if it's not safe for you it's not

33:34

safe for me I speak to too many women

33:36

and girls they say it's not safe I speak

33:38

to too many women in particular who say

33:40

they're imposing a curfew in themselves

33:42

not to go at night time because they

33:44

don't feel safe in that case it's not

33:46

safe I speak to too many

33:48

um you know people who are worried about

33:50

their safety and you know perception is

33:53

is important here because it's fear of

33:55

crime that you're talking about because

33:57

of your experience right uh and you'll

33:59

speak to your friends and not reasonably

34:01

that they'll be apprehensive and scared

34:03

so it's a problem for me as we've got to

34:04

address it women and girls there's been

34:06

um a lot of

34:08

talk recently about instances of police

34:12

officers who have attacked

34:15

raped with women and girls on the

34:17

Streets of London

34:21

what are you doing about that to prevent

34:23

that happening going forward

34:25

so in the last few years has been at

34:29

last

34:31

publicity given to the fact that every

34:34

three days across our country a woman is

34:35

killed at the hands of a man every three

34:37

days

34:39

that's a sobering fact

34:42

recently we've seen not just the tragic

34:45

murders of Sarah everard

34:46

um you know Zara Alina you know Bieber

34:49

and Nicole uh you know and many others

34:53

Sabina Nessa but also we've seen people

34:55

who we entrust to keep us safe

34:59

peace officers police officers

35:01

the people we go to and we're the

35:02

victims of crime

35:03

being involved in the most serious

35:06

crimes possible

35:07

Sarah everard

35:08

was abducted by a man using his Warren

35:12

card raped and killed by serving police

35:15

officer

35:16

we had David Carrick somebody who'd been

35:19

a police officer for almost 20 years we

35:22

discovered throughout most of his 20

35:24

years

35:25

had been a prolific sexual offender used

35:28

in the fact he's a police officer to

35:30

commit some of those crimes

35:32

but also it appears there are

35:35

opportunities for the police

35:37

during the vetting process

35:39

to find out this guy was a criminal and

35:43

not just stop him being a police officer

35:44

but take action against him

35:47

my view that I've been making clear for

35:48

a number of years now and I've been

35:49

criticized for this

35:51

is I think there are sustaining cultural

35:52

issues in the Police Service one of the

35:55

reasons why ultimate has come ultimately

35:57

lost confidence in the previous

35:58

commissioner

36:00

was my lack of belief in her ability to

36:02

understand this as an issue have a plan

36:04

to address this I have a plan to impact

36:06

the trusted confidence of londoners

36:09

and so

36:10

we've got to make sure we have a

36:11

reforming commissioner doing this job

36:13

unless the guy at the top or the woman

36:14

at the top understands the problem how

36:16

you're going to fix it I think the new

36:18

commissioner and his Deputy understand

36:19

there's a problem and I've got a plan to

36:20

fix it

36:22

they're taken on board the

36:23

recommendations from an outsider you

36:25

can't Mark your own homework you need

36:26

somebody else

36:28

to look into things

36:30

tell you how bad things are make

36:32

recommendations and follow them through

36:34

so we've got an outsider Louise Casey

36:36

talking to us going on in the Met Police

36:37

Service she's published an interim

36:39

report

36:40

the Commissioners accepted all the

36:41

findings she will now publish her final

36:43

report later on this year we need to

36:45

change the rules around how police

36:46

officers are employed so if a member of

36:48

your staff had a nickname

36:51

the bastard if I would raise questions

36:53

for you right why is this guy's nickname

36:55

amongst his colleagues the bastard

36:57

or other nicknames that police officers

36:59

involved in this stuff have had no

37:00

action taken against them because

37:02

it's very difficult for

37:05

commission and others to get rid of

37:06

dodgy officers the regulations make it

37:09

difficult

37:10

one asking necessarily in all cases for

37:12

criminal prosecution we're asking for

37:13

those officers to be at least sacked

37:15

so we're lobbying the government to

37:17

change the regulations to make it easier

37:18

for the commission to get rid of dodgy

37:21

officers we've set up a hotline for

37:24

people can ring in and police officers

37:25

can ring in about dodgy Behavior other

37:26

officers

37:27

from City Hall without government

37:29

support from City Hall were investing

37:30

more money in ramping up the vetting

37:33

processes right this guy should have

37:36

been spotted a mile away I've also asked

37:38

the commissioner he's well it was his

37:40

idea to be fair to go back 10 years and

37:43

look at every single time a police

37:44

officer has had a complaint made against

37:46

them of this nature to see if any other

37:48

opportunities missed with other officers

37:51

we've also got a new unit which we're

37:52

invested in an anti-abuse and Corruption

37:54

unit but my view is this by the way in

37:57

London

37:58

we've shown a spotlight on this but

38:00

there are other police forces around the

38:01

country

38:02

where you know I'm sure there are other

38:04

issues where that spotlight's not been

38:06

shown yet and so it's really important

38:08

for us to recognize these systemic

38:09

cultural issues across our country that

38:11

demand addressing

38:13

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39:41

to the founder because I've never shared

39:43

this before but he actually said to me

39:45

when I started the podcast he was like

39:46

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39:48

have millions of subscribers you'll be

39:49

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39:51

people will listen and I don't know if I

39:52

believed it if I'm being completely

39:54

honest but he believed in Us in this

39:56

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39:57

um before we'd released one episode

39:58

which is a remarkable thing and he gave

40:00

me a huge amount of self-belief in

40:01

myself so thank you Julian Hearn for

40:03

that but also thank you huel for

40:05

creating a product that has helped me

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and help my health stay intact in my

40:08

busiest days over the last couple of

40:10

years

40:12

episode

40:13

what's been your hardest day as London

40:15

mayor

40:17

there's been a few I think grunfeld

40:19

Tower

40:20

that

40:21

I still remember the images that's

40:23

remember the Heat

40:26

I went to a lot of funerals

40:28

um that summer was

40:30

that someone was hard I still I'm still

40:32

touched with the families that I see

40:34

them often

40:36

and whenever I see them

40:38

it comes back my grandfather was just

40:40

it was just and it still it still sticks

40:43

with me because it it could have been us

40:45

it's councilor State diverse estate

40:49

lovely community

40:51

those families will not be the same

40:52

again

40:53

um

40:54

and every time I go there

40:59

and I spend time with the families

41:04

you just you just think what these

41:06

families are going through

41:07

your one family six people wiped out uh

41:11

another 11 year old child

41:13

who'd want to asset competition

41:16

and you know when you speak to those who

41:18

were the judges she would have gone on

41:19

to being you know this amazing woman

41:22

lost their life in that fire and so that

41:26

2017 was hard because we also had at the

41:28

same time the orphan grenfell

41:31

and a number of Terror attacks in London

41:33

uh London Bridge uh Westminster Bridge

41:36

uh Finsbury Park

41:39

um

41:41

that some was harder you know because I

41:44

spent a lot of time I I like I like I

41:46

liked I think it's important

41:48

for me to spend time with brief families

41:49

so when I was an MP when I was a lawyer

41:52

I spent a lot of time brief animals my

41:54

clients when I was an MP there was ever

41:56

you know a homicide in TuneIn

42:00

I would meet the families asking me the

42:01

families when I became may I started a

42:03

practice where

42:05

Whenever there was a homicide in London

42:07

my office would write to the family and

42:09

say look obviously give my condolences

42:11

but give them my details and meet with

42:12

the families

42:13

and so after grunfell uh you know into a

42:16

lot of funerals a lot of families and

42:18

and those families stories

42:21

stay with you and I'm still in contact

42:24

with a lot of them

42:25

but that summer

42:27

um

42:28

June 2017

42:31

you referenced the London Bridge attacks

42:33

as well where I think three men in a van

42:35

mounted the sidewalk then jumped out

42:37

with knives and killed I think eight

42:38

people in total in um

42:41

borough borough Market

42:46

when you see this happening you're at

42:48

home right 10 p.m at night you're

42:50

watching the Telly you see this

42:52

happening

42:53

what goes on in your head

42:56

so just just to reassure people watching

42:58

so we do a lot of preparation a lot of

43:00

blood practice a lot of planning on

43:03

those sorts of things so you see try

43:06

and and

43:09

you're never ready for it but you try to

43:11

do what you can in advance to understand

43:13

it because I'm not a police officer I'm

43:14

not an nmo5

43:16

I'm not counter-terror but I'm the

43:19

police around commissioner so I need to

43:20

understand what you're doing so so I can

43:22

understand your job and so I I've always

43:24

tried to understand what you're doing so

43:26

I can be at help not hindrance

43:28

and so when it happens there's a lot of

43:32

uncertainty in real time what's going on

43:33

but the good news is

43:36

our police and other partners are

43:39

trained for the phrases

43:41

a marauding terrorist uh the phrase for

43:45

it uh there's training for it and and we

43:47

learn from other countries when this

43:49

happens so

43:50

uh the first time this sort of uh Terror

43:52

tactic was used that's well known about

43:55

was in Delhi a number of years ago so

43:57

our police have learned what's happened

43:58

there and so we practice a lot of this

44:00

stuff in relation to

44:02

what what the Firearms team will do in

44:03

the situation

44:04

what the police response will do what my

44:06

role is going to be where I should be

44:08

and so forth

44:09

and and also you've got to give

44:13

Assurance to londoners you can't play

44:15

into the terrorist hands what does

44:16

terrorist want you to do a terrorist

44:18

wants to terrorize you and have Panic

44:21

spreading changing behavior in a way

44:23

that's perverse and so forth so it's

44:25

really important the response I have to

44:28

a terror attack because I could

44:29

inadvertently be playing into the hands

44:32

of the terrorists well there's a motion

44:34

come into all of this you're seeing

44:36

you know

44:37

Carnage you're seeing death

44:39

you is there a place for emotion in all

44:41

of that in real time there really can't

44:43

be in real time there can't be for and

44:45

that sort of stuff there can be when it

44:47

comes to a foreign

44:48

sort of thing but but because people are

44:52

looking to you to provide leadership

44:54

and panic doesn't isn't good leadership

44:56

and so one of the reasons why you know

44:58

I've asked for when we've had the

45:00

practice the preparation the planning is

45:02

to make sure there isn't panic and there

45:03

isn't emotion because you've got to make

45:05

rational decisions and provide

45:07

reassurance in a core calm waste you

45:09

know you can't go to a cobra meeting and

45:11

be historical you've got to explain the

45:13

facts what you've ascertained what

45:14

you're going to do

45:15

what buses are going to be diverted what

45:16

tube's going to be stopped you know and

45:18

so forth another important thing in

45:21

London in that sort of context Stephen

45:22

is we can't afford to happen is

45:24

reprisals right people wrongly thinking

45:26

every Muslim is a terrorist we saw in

45:28

America

45:29

Post 9 11 you know somebody were in a

45:31

turban attacked and killed because

45:33

people thought wrongly it was involved

45:35

in terrorism in 911 so this that part of

45:38

British law in the community community

45:40

tensions as well after that incident

45:42

happened

45:43

um Donald Trump came out and made some

45:45

disparaging comments about

45:47

about my guess about about you in London

45:51

um really kind of mocking what you'd

45:52

said

45:55

how do you feel about that is it I mean

45:57

it's I mean from my point of view it's

45:59

an incredibly bizarre behavior for a

46:01

wild leader to be taking such a stance

46:03

after it's such a tragedy but how did

46:04

how did that feel on that day

46:06

emotionally

46:08

it was odd let me see what I saw it

46:10

there's basically an understanding we

46:11

have there are certain cities and

46:13

certain parts of the world are targets

46:15

of terrorists because of our values

46:17

because of our way of life and so forth

46:18

and you so there's a there's a

46:20

solidarity

46:21

we saw happen in Paris

46:23

uh you know you know we saw it up in 911

46:26

right uh and there are other examples

46:27

around the world in Manchester the awful

46:29

you know events of the Ariana Grande

46:31

concert and so forth and so there's

46:33

always a sense of solidarity and you'll

46:35

you'll see world leaders you know Mayors

46:37

and others Sending message of solidarity

46:40

and it's unusual it's exceptional

46:42

actually

46:43

for particularly our closest Ally right

46:45

special relationship you saw our primary

46:48

prime minister response to 911 you know

46:50

Tony Blair George Bush

46:52

and you have Donald Trump

46:54

responding the way he he does and let's

46:57

be frank you know if the mayor of London

46:59

wasn't you know somebody of

47:01

you know my background my faith and so

47:03

forth and he didn't have the views he

47:05

had about people of my faith and my

47:07

background he wouldn't respond to the

47:08

way he did would he has that has that

47:10

played a role in how people have treated

47:12

you in terms of on the other side of the

47:14

aisle people have political views do you

47:16

think some of you know I'm reflecting

47:17

now on much of what Meghan Markle said

47:20

about how like the institutional how

47:22

claims about institutional racism

47:23

impacting the way she was treated by the

47:25

press and by by the institution itself

47:27

but but when I think about you being

47:30

you know probably Britain's most famous

47:33

Muslim

47:35

um

47:36

you are the mayor of London do you

47:38

believe that there has been instances

47:40

and there are just generally a bias

47:42

because you are a Muslim yourself

47:44

and how does that rear its head on like

47:46

a day-to-day month-to-month basis

47:49

well looking backwards I mean I'm sure

47:51

you've read about the uh my first

47:53

election campaign in 2016 right my faith

47:56

was used against me by my opponents uh

47:58

you know you kind of a must remember

48:00

links with terrorism so forth and so

48:02

forth for no other reason but because of

48:04

to be frank my faith right

48:07

um and that's why it's so important to

48:08

win because had I not won if you're an

48:11

Asian or a Muslim or whatever you're

48:13

thinking hold on a sec it's not possible

48:14

to be the Maryland because you're afraid

48:16

that holds you back and that's why

48:17

winning was important

48:18

for a variety of other reasons as well

48:21

but you know the thing about our city

48:24

is not understanding the prejudices

48:26

against the religion that I practice

48:28

because a minority of terrorists do bad

48:31

things use the name of Islam

48:33

this city voted for not just an ethic

48:35

minority

48:36

or just a religious minority but the

48:38

religion he belongs to is Islam it's

48:40

this thing wonderful about our city not

48:42

just tolerating difference respect and

48:45

embracing and celebrating it as well but

48:47

I can't escape the fact that you know

48:49

being a Muslim

48:51

when we're living in a climate of

48:53

islamophobia

48:54

has challenges as well it's it's not a

48:58

secret it's not I'm not diverging any

49:00

breaches of you know National Security

49:03

the Christchurch shooter in New Zealand

49:05

you know referenced me in his in his

49:08

diatribe the Finsbury Park terror terror

49:11

terrorist

49:12

you know reference me uh in his

49:15

terrorist attack in Finsbury uh park

49:17

outside uh the mosque you know I'm not

49:20

I'm not giving equivalence to Donald

49:22

Trump in relation to terrorists but

49:23

Donald Trump

49:24

for a period of time was obsessed with

49:25

me and so that leads to you go to social

49:28

media some of the stuff that I get on

49:30

social media right uh you go to uh some

49:33

of the far-right groups some of the

49:35

stuff I received there some of the

49:38

you know in Virtual Commons mainstream

49:40

journalists who use me as clickbait they

49:42

know if they use my name it's going to

49:44

attract traffic to their social media

49:47

channels they know that and because

49:48

you're a Muslim but of course it is

49:49

right because we know

49:51

that there's a currency there's a

49:53

currency right uh you know and we know

49:55

for reasons that you know you know

49:57

aren't fair to Muslims the vast fast

49:59

fast majority

50:01

yeah who live in the west love the West

50:03

uh Laura Biden and so forth but the

50:06

actions of a small minority means we're

50:08

all labeled we're all demonized and so I

50:10

was reading the independent and it was

50:12

they were talking about the death

50:14

threats you'd received on social media

50:17

you'd come out and talked about some of

50:19

the comments that people had made to you

50:20

calling you a

50:23

um words that I probably can't even

50:24

repeat and I won't repeat to be fair

50:26

um but very derogatory racist uh

50:29

homosexual at times terminology towards

50:32

you which oftentimes included death

50:34

threats

50:35

um the independent had written an

50:36

article showing what those those threats

50:38

were have you ever felt like your safety

50:41

was at risk yeah it's been a few times

50:43

yeah yeah uh uh and that's one of the

50:46

reasons why you know and I have pleased

50:48

protection not because I asked for it

50:49

for a year I said no

50:51

and in the end

50:53

my wife and my chief of staff said

50:55

you've got to take it because

50:57

two reasons because if I'm out with my

51:01

family their personal safety is being

51:02

compromised right uh I can't have that

51:04

uh if I'm out with my staff working

51:07

the person said he's being compromised

51:09

and I'm not willing to take that risk

51:10

either and so uh you know there'd be in

51:13

specific threats

51:14

but the problem with police protection

51:15

is it means you lose your spontaneity so

51:18

you know I came here by tube uh I'm not

51:20

you know the police officers on on the

51:22

tube with me right you wouldn't know

51:24

they were there you know um and so forth

51:27

but they've got to be with me when I go

51:29

to a restaurant when I go to the cinema

51:31

and I'm walking my dog when I'm getting

51:33

the tube right and so like it restricts

51:36

my ability to just you know have you

51:37

ever been

51:39

genuinely worried about your safety a

51:41

couple of times yeah there's an occasion

51:42

where uh yeah there's been a number of

51:45

occasions I probably I don't want to

51:46

give them the credit by making them know

51:47

that I was scared and worried about my

51:48

safety because you know they'll think

51:49

they can do it again but there have been

51:51

occasions even with police protection

51:53

about Proxima Berlin you know but I've

51:55

asked them to just you know keep a

51:57

distance because I don't want them to be

51:58

next to me like I mean I'm a celebrity

52:00

or the Prime Minister you know I I like

52:03

the fact that I'm a normal Joe uh and I

52:05

try and be as much as I I can but there

52:07

have been times yeah of course they have

52:09

um

52:10

uh as mere but there have been times

52:12

I've been more of a security before I

52:14

was me you know when you know and you

52:15

know and that's

52:18

you know you know 911 was traumatic for

52:20

a variety of reasons thousands of people

52:22

lost their lives it was just awful what

52:24

it did though was it gave it gave

52:27

permission for people to treat all of us

52:30

you know in a way that I'd not

52:32

experienced before so when I was growing

52:34

up

52:36

the p word the N word the W word

52:39

sometimes used

52:41

and you know

52:43

my white friends black friends and me

52:45

knew that was that was like that was we

52:48

see the Red Mist and they'd be fine

52:49

right you couldn't yeah and but

52:52

it was never about faith and I'm not

52:54

saying one is better than the other and

52:55

stuff right but something happened

52:58

where

53:00

um it became about faith uh and the

53:02

islamophobia stuff uh and there is still

53:05

a great sense of solidarity in relation

53:07

to people who still defend me who aren't

53:08

Muslims and stuff right

53:10

what it does is a number of things

53:11

firstly if you're a mum or dad and

53:13

you're you know and you're Muslim and

53:15

your son was thinking about Korean

53:17

politics or public life you say you know

53:18

what

53:20

if someone likes that he can't get in

53:21

that sort of stuff

53:23

I don't really want you to get involved

53:24

in politics or and this happens a lot if

53:28

you're somebody who is wants to amplify

53:31

my social media or be supportive

53:34

and you do it and then you get this

53:36

diatribe of hate because you've done

53:39

that there's two responses

53:41

a 9 out of ten people say I had no idea

53:43

that you received this stuff how can I

53:46

help

53:47

I'm one out of 10 people say you know

53:49

what

53:49

this is a bit too much you know I'm not

53:51

I'm not gonna actually has it ever

53:53

affected you personally

53:55

um sleepless nights

53:57

in relation to

53:59

hate abuse I worry about my I want to

54:03

make sure my wife and kids are safe for

54:04

me I'll make sure they're safe

54:06

um

54:07

at the moment I've got the you know I'm

54:10

I'm lucky I've got a police protection

54:12

team keeping me safe right

54:13

um but we you know the City Halls you

54:15

know receives threats and you know so

54:17

this where this ridiculous situation

54:20

where because of the hatred against me

54:23

people are writing letters and emails to

54:26

City old staff who in the previous 16

54:29

years

54:30

haven't had this we've had enough since

54:32

2000 and we would now provide our staff

54:34

and this isn't objective the rejected

54:36

space that's receiving hatred but we've

54:39

got a duty appear to our staff right our

54:40

staff are traumatized upset all the rest

54:42

of it so we're now going to support our

54:43

staff in ways never done before so that

54:46

keeps that worries me the fact they've

54:47

impacted my staff reading this stuff the

54:49

emails

54:50

uh reading the letters that come in the

54:52

image of my staff reading the social

54:53

media the impacts of my family reading

54:55

this uh uh stuff I'm not going to allow

54:57

anybody to change my behavior I will not

55:00

cower but also I will not let you know

55:02

if you're bullying me but I feel it so

55:04

even if I was being affected and I'm not

55:06

I wouldn't tell the guys that I'm being

55:07

affected because it gives them it gives

55:09

them Solace it gives them Comfort it

55:10

means they've won I'm not going to do

55:12

that but but in this kind of medium I

55:14

think there is value in Sharing showing

55:16

those sharing that because people don't

55:19

realize right so it's it's a world that

55:21

we don't know so we don't care about so

55:23

we don't as a society do anything about

55:25

because we don't even know it exists I

55:26

mean much of what you've said is news to

55:27

me the fact that you're telling me your

55:29

staff need

55:31

I'm presuming psychological support

55:33

because of the amount of abuse you're

55:34

getting and at the heart of that is your

55:37

your religion

55:38

and you race

55:40

so often

55:42

other things will come into it but you

55:43

just have to read just just when you get

55:45

a chance you know it's not good for your

55:47

mental health but when you get a chance

55:48

you just have a look at some of the

55:49

stuff that that people say about me and

55:51

it's not all Bots by the way but it has

55:52

infected you because I can tell you I've

55:54

had abuse targeted me and it affected me

55:56

and I don't mind saying that because I

55:58

think it's just it's just the truth to

55:59

be fair so has it ever

56:01

has there ever been you know

56:03

anxiety worries no no it's affecting me

56:06

in the sense that you know I've spoken

56:08

to

56:09

social media companies and others about

56:11

the responsibility they have about their

56:12

algorithms about you know employing

56:14

staff to take the stuff off

56:16

you know my staff not me I reported some

56:17

of this stuff to the police and actually

56:18

in particularly at some of the people

56:19

who've said some of this stuff because

56:21

the assignment elements of uh I think

56:23

there are issues here

56:24

about the ease with which uh social

56:27

media allows people with hateful

56:30

spiteful racist criminal views have

56:33

those views Amplified where they weren't

56:35

20 years ago so 20 years ago 30 years

56:37

ago so when I was growing up right you

56:39

could only bully me if you saw me in a

56:40

playground or if you saw me down the

56:41

street you could call me names that way

56:43

you could maybe write me a letter if you

56:44

knew where I lived

56:45

now you can do it from your bedroom

56:48

without even being in the same city as

56:50

me the same country as me anonymously

56:51

anonymously as well and some of these

56:54

algorithms amplify this and and some of

56:56

these people have got big followings and

56:58

they all jump in the bandwagon uh as

57:00

well and so you know there is a problem

57:02

there in relation to how we deal with

57:04

this stuff but also listen it's

57:04

happening to you speak to

57:07

a girl in a secondary school some of the

57:10

stuff she now will receive so you know

57:11

you know black is going to school now

57:14

in their bedroom on social media right

57:16

and so you know this is not just an

57:19

issue for me I don't want anybody to

57:20

feel sorry for me but it's an issue for

57:22

everybody for everyone covid speaking of

57:25

mental health I heard you said that

57:26

during the covered period you you did

57:28

suffer a little bit with your own mental

57:29

health can you give me some detail on

57:31

what you mean by that yeah look before

57:33

we came I know we're talking about you

57:34

know return to the office and stuff and

57:35

I'm somebody who by the way you don't

57:38

realize this at the time

57:40

so I'm somebody who I now realize

57:42

thrives on working with people being

57:44

around people uh on company right and I

57:48

didn't really appreciate that until the

57:49

pandemic

57:50

uh and I'm lucky I've got a decent sized

57:53

home my my daughters came up from

57:56

University

57:57

my wife we got on really well we do you

58:00

know and so we can give each other space

58:01

and stuff and so I've got a garden we've

58:03

got a dog

58:04

but I realized

58:08

there was a

58:10

there wasn't a light bulb moment

58:13

but I

58:14

but on hindsight I realized

58:17

I stopped shaving you know I you know I

58:20

burnt jogging Bobs all day

58:22

uh I I wasn't as communicative

58:26

um of course I'd shave if I was doing

58:28

you know morning breakfast shows or

58:29

whatever

58:31

uh I'll I didn't have my mojo I'd like

58:34

to think that I can Inspire my team I I

58:36

you know you know you know it's like

58:38

when you you manage people right

58:40

I didn't I just didn't I just I I was

58:43

saying not quite right and I couldn't

58:46

I didn't know that in real time I didn't

58:48

you know

58:50

but they were saying and and on

58:54

hindsight what I realized was

58:56

that there were things I did

58:58

in my normal life

59:00

that gave me mental Fitness and it was

59:03

not a physical fitness mental Fitness

59:04

right

59:05

and because I wasn't doing those

59:08

I was suffering mental ill health now I

59:11

fortunately I needed to be medicalized

59:13

but it meant I had to think about the

59:15

things I want to do

59:16

to keep mental my mental health well and

59:20

I struggled and on hindsight

59:23

there was a period of time where

59:25

I I wasn't top of my game uh because I

59:28

now am and because you know after a

59:30

while I realized this and was taking

59:31

steps to address that

59:33

and I realized I can't

59:35

work from home in perpetuity I I need to

59:38

be around people I need that buzz

59:40

whether it's the banter on the tube

59:41

whether it's meeting my staff whether

59:43

it's that conversation before I go into

59:44

the office the team meeting

59:47

I didn't realize

59:49

that's what helps me

59:51

keep my mental health but also makes me

59:53

you know be effective and it's other

59:55

things you know sport I didn't realize

59:57

how important sport is to me I didn't

59:59

realize not playing tennis not going for

60:01

a run

60:02

not playing football I didn't realize

60:05

that because I thought I did have to

60:07

keep I thought I did that to keep

60:08

physically fit not realizing actually

60:10

it's an internal part in my mental

60:12

well-being when you when you think about

60:14

your your job as mayor over the last you

60:17

know

60:18

since you were elected mayor where where

60:21

do you think you've let yourself down

60:23

[Music]

60:25

well that's a good question

60:28

um I think I think you alluded to this

60:30

early on but the seven days a week stuff

60:31

when you speak to most experts and I

60:34

speak lots of privilege you know

60:36

speaking to you speak lots of people who

60:38

they said that they say that's really

60:39

important to get the balance right in

60:40

relation to

60:42

being fresh for the time we've got to be

60:43

on my response is I'm on quite a lot uh

60:48

so I've got to use a time when I'm off

60:49

to make sure I recharge on batteries

60:52

and so I think that pacing myself you

60:54

know I've tried to run a marathon as a

60:56

Sprint what about policies things you

60:58

would have liked to have gotten done but

61:00

you've not been able to get done a lot

61:01

of people have leveled the you know

61:02

things like housing and will we be

61:04

carbon neutral by 2030

61:07

um what are the things you look at and

61:07

go do you know I failed there yeah well

61:09

I'm not gonna answer that question

61:10

honestly when I'm running for election

61:11

in 467 days time right because the

61:14

answer is going to use against me but

61:15

let me tell you something we've got

61:16

we've done lots of right as well as to

61:18

suffered a vlog I think the biggest

61:19

thing is that like a real thing where

61:20

you can't tell the truth because someone

61:22

might use it against you actually I

61:23

think the thing that I've been at least

61:24

effective about and I've said this

61:25

before is is uh by that we've not

61:29

managed to play the government the

61:30

importance of developing more powerful

61:31

resources to London the governments

61:34

my dad used to say that you know you

61:37

should judge somebody about the friends

61:38

you keep right I've got a different I've

61:41

got a different saying which is Judge

61:43

Somebody by their enemies

61:44

you know and the government don't like

61:47

me right and so the politics is the main

61:49

reason and so the government

61:51

and I think I've I've sometimes not

61:54

helped because of my pugilistic nature

61:59

and I I I I worry

62:02

have London has been let down because

62:05

the government see me as an enemy not

62:06

giving London the support they would

62:07

give if somebody else was the mayor and

62:10

so I've tempered you know since I won

62:12

re-election I've tempered some of that

62:14

because I realized I can't allow my my

62:16

natural adversarial nature my dislike of

62:18

the government to get in the way of

62:20

doing business with the government so

62:21

that's that's the honest answer but by

62:23

the way I meant what I said about this

62:25

when you said tongue-in-cheek well can

62:26

you not be honest yeah because I'm still

62:28

in the game right so when you ask a next

62:30

politician

62:31

questions like that they'll give you a a

62:34

candid answer but you can't exactly look

62:36

it's not asking ask us Tyson what's the

62:40

weakness in your game what what you know

62:41

you you wouldn't do that I'm not

62:43

sometimes in Fury uh but I'm still on

62:45

top of my game it's really interesting I

62:47

I partly think it's an interesting game

62:49

politics and and all this stuff but a

62:51

game it's not a game you just said

62:52

you're still in the games I'm using your

62:55

word but it's an interesting game to me

62:56

because I don't feel like politicians

62:57

can ever be truly themselves they can't

63:00

truly speak their mind and I am part I

63:02

wonder if that's actually acting against

63:05

them I think there's almost this

63:06

political kind of

63:09

um this political I don't know

63:11

philosophy or whatever where you kind of

63:13

have to be a little bit cagey you kind

63:14

of have to never really answer a

63:15

question you kind of have to to get by I

63:17

said no so to his credit Trump the thing

63:20

he did and I hate to say Trump did

63:22

anything well but the thing he did you

63:24

know what you're getting with this guy

63:25

whether it's good bad driven by

63:27

narcissism whatever

63:29

you have this sense that he's telling

63:31

you what he thinks I've got at least 17

63:32

responses to them let me give you a

63:33

couple

63:34

so one is which is interesting is I

63:36

think Trump's one of Trump's tweets that

63:39

he said against me was hashtag

63:41

Stone Cold loser describing me right

63:46

well he lost his re-election I didn't

63:47

true right so he's a one-time president

63:52

right Barack Obama isn't even George W

63:54

bush isn't do you think about it

63:57

uh he's gonna try come back uh he's got

63:59

a good chance I think DeSantis will

64:01

probably get the Republican nomination

64:03

I'm coming back honestly

64:05

uh well I wanted to come back and be

64:08

beaten so yeah so I think I think

64:10

politics uh you know the reason why I

64:12

said about you know I'm still in the

64:13

game is because it's a good metaphor

64:14

because I I you know I learned a lot

64:16

from Sports I love sports and stuff and

64:17

a lot of leadership skills I get from

64:19

sports but let me tell you why why

64:21

you're both right and wrong in relation

64:22

to your observation which I think is I

64:24

think is is right and it's wrong

64:27

so when you're an MP I think you're

64:30

right I think most MPS

64:31

have got to be inauthentic on Ty because

64:34

in Parliament

64:36

a thing called Collective responsibility

64:37

and you've got to stay in your lane for

64:40

a start so if you're a transport

64:42

minister

64:43

you can really enter that transport

64:45

because if I review about health it'll

64:47

it'll annoy the health secretary

64:49

or if I've got a view about foreign

64:50

policy or health effect it'll upset the

64:52

foreign secretary right

64:53

orb the budget and so you've got to stay

64:55

in your lane which is which is a

64:57

frustration because you've got to stand

64:59

by the policies they've got in their

65:00

other areas right it's going to be

65:02

inauthentic

65:03

um but also this thing called collect

65:04

responsibility so inside the cabinet

65:07

what happens is

65:08

if there's a good strong prime minister

65:10

there'll be an argument and discussion

65:12

inside cabinet about policy

65:14

you can have a different view you can be

65:15

honest then

65:16

once you reach a view when you leave the

65:19

cabinet all of you

65:20

have on a defend that view and be

65:22

Advocate with you and that's why you're

65:24

spot on so and it reminds me being a

65:26

lawyer I that I've got to say hand on

65:28

heart there were cases I had where I

65:30

didn't agree with the brief or like it

65:32

but I had to argue the case I was the

65:34

lawyer right and the same goes we were

65:35

MP the difference when you're the mayor

65:38

or the president

65:40

you can be yourself so what's Labor

65:42

getting wrong

65:44

um

65:46

I think lots of things right to be fair

65:47

come on there's no I mean I think I

65:49

think you know but when I think about

65:50

the last two three years since Kia

65:51

became leader we've got a lot of things

65:53

right I think the frustration voters

65:55

have which I think is not fair is we're

65:58

not putting enough flesh in the detail

65:59

right and there's a reason for that I

66:00

explained so so the answer your question

66:02

direct answer is we're not giving enough

66:04

retail policy

66:06

enough reasons to vote late labor

66:09

yes time for change is effective but but

66:11

people would say what lab is getting

66:13

wrong is not giving details of policy my

66:16

response is hold on a sec

66:18

you've got a peek at the right time the

66:20

general election might not be until 20

66:22

months away so if Rachel Reeves had a

66:24

chance and I came up with a policy on on

66:25

the budget

66:27

well the economy in 20 minutes time is

66:30

going to be very different from the

66:30

economy now how can she honestly be

66:32

asked to give a tax and spend policy now

66:33

well Kirsten announces a great policy

66:36

the windfall levy on energy companies

66:38

sunak Nixa dilutes it a bit so soon it

66:42

gets the credit or not care your best

66:43

policies have been stunned so this is

66:45

and so the point is you've got to peek

66:46

at the right time and the power ration

66:48

has got to come in the weeks before

66:49

that's interesting Direction because the

66:51

question question I asked is what's

66:52

Labor getting wrong

66:54

and you didn't answer that you didn't I

66:56

didn't explain it's just the reasons

66:57

that's the public perception of the

66:59

Labor's getting wrong yeah I'm saying

67:00

what do you think Labor's getting wrong

67:01

yeah but but Steve that's my point

67:03

listen if you say nothing that's fine no

67:05

no no listen but my point is

67:07

that that there's two points of that one

67:09

is

67:10

uh I say this with respect and love you

67:12

know advice I give to care giving

67:15

private not in public right that's the

67:16

first thing and secondly

67:18

there's a general election in 20 months

67:20

time

67:20

and you know my point about you know we

67:23

have a you know I'm still in the game is

67:25

is you know I want to make sure that

67:29

privately the views I've got about

67:31

whatever's getting wrong I sorted out

67:32

before the general election rather than

67:33

telegraphing to the opposition things

67:36

were getting wrong so they can you know

67:38

using the boxing metaphor you try and

67:40

not curious armor out and that's but

67:42

that's kind of similar to what you were

67:43

saying about the

67:44

and MPS having to kind of

67:47

stay stay in the lane because they can't

67:49

be critical of anything else that's

67:50

happening around them I get it it's a

67:52

party I guess that's how the system

67:53

works but as a as a muggle he doesn't

67:55

really isn't that interested well I'm

67:57

interested in politics but I'm not

67:58

heavily engaged but here's your handsome

68:01

though Stephen

68:02

and it's a good conundrum to have

68:04

which is the next general election

68:05

probably

68:07

one of two people named prime minister

68:09

right sunak or cursed armor unless sunac

68:13

is goes the way of listro and Boris

68:15

Johnson right

68:16

and so politics isn't perfection it's

68:19

relativism and so you've got to choose

68:21

between one of these two there's no

68:22

there's nobody else it's not Kirsten or

68:24

perfection

68:26

it's the appearance of perfection right

68:28

because as you said she's perfect though

68:30

In Our Lifetime but that's what I'm

68:32

saying it's the appearance of it in the

68:34

sense that like you can't criticize

68:36

labor

68:37

so I can't believe me I can look

68:38

publicly I mean so publicly in the last

68:41

in the last two weeks I criticized labor

68:43

right on brexit I Believe brexit's been

68:46

an unmitigated disaster right I believe

68:49

uh that uh we've got to be much closer

68:52

to you and that includes by the way yes

68:55

outside the EU now we are outside the U

68:57

but being members of the single market

68:58

and Customs Union that is not Labor's

69:01

policy right how does labor get back in

69:03

power when I was younger listen again if

69:06

I'm wrong about any of this political

69:07

stuff please like with my dates and

69:09

stuff please forgive me but I'm just

69:11

saying um when I was younger laborer in

69:12

power and then since pretty much over

69:14

the last 10 years labor labor haven't

69:15

been back in power what's Labor getting

69:18

wrong why isn't resonating with the the

69:20

voters and how does labor go about

69:21

fixing that so the last

69:24

hundred years I mean we've only been in

69:26

power for a third of that to give you an

69:28

idea of you know uh you know we're not

69:30

the man united of politics you know uh

69:33

and so uh a number of things we want to

69:36

do to win back power first we've got to

69:38

change ourselves so we've got a the

69:41

first part of it is

69:42

reorganizing labor ourselves so internal

69:45

stuff the internal wiring is wrong right

69:48

what's wrong with it

69:50

so so this idea that anybody is

69:53

successful you know we've got to bash

69:54

this idea that we you know that the way

69:56

we fundraise for our party the way we

69:59

um employ staff and Fire Staff this

70:01

sense of you know uh nepotism and stuff

70:04

there's lots of things we've got wrong

70:04

you know um in the last few years you

70:07

know we sort ourselves that including

70:10

organization employ the right people get

70:12

rid of the wrong people uh have a you

70:14

know have proper social media campaign

70:17

that sort of stuff proper campaigning

70:18

techniques or so the internal stuff

70:20

you've got to do the stuff you don't see

70:21

how we select candidates right all that

70:23

sort of stuff right

70:24

the second part of it is Be an Effective

70:27

opposition expose the Tories and call

70:29

them out when they get things wrong we

70:31

can't rely up on the mainstream media

70:32

you know eight percent of the major

70:33

media is supportive of the conservative

70:35

party right it's just a fact

70:37

so we've got to Be an Effective

70:39

opposition in calling them out and hold

70:41

them to account right including stuff

70:43

um that would otherwise not be seen so

70:45

call them our relation to policies on

70:46

the economy uh you know call them on the

70:48

policy relation to Health Service call

70:50

them arrested policy of Education

70:52

um and the third part which is the

70:54

crucial part is to show the country

70:57

we've got policies to Be an Effective

70:59

Government and that's that's my point

71:01

about the perception is we've not done

71:02

the third part yet and my answer is

71:04

holding this door 20 months to go my

71:06

point is this

71:08

I don't want to win election

71:11

because it's time for change by itself I

71:13

want you to be inspired and Infused to

71:15

vote labor because of our policy offer

71:17

and that's your challenge back to me

71:19

saying what's your opponent why vote

71:20

labor right that's interesting I've been

71:22

doing a lot of reading over the last

71:24

couple of weeks because I'm writing my

71:24

new book and I've spent you know a good

71:27

30 days in total probably in the jungle

71:28

reading about psychology and why people

71:30

um what makes people behave and act and

71:32

whatever and the the uh the clear answer

71:35

from all of that research that I've done

71:37

and all the studies I went through going

71:38

back almost 100 years was that people

71:41

responded emotionally instead of to

71:43

logic and so when you say that you need

71:46

to lead with better policies and stuff

71:47

it kind of goes it stands in the face of

71:50

all of this like psychological research

71:52

I've been reading that says in fact

71:53

people are illogical emotional beings

71:55

that are driven by their fears and

71:57

desires and when I think about politics

71:58

honestly right and I'm just being

72:01

completely honest I I think a lot of it

72:03

is actually just a very

72:05

instinctive feeling about the person

72:09

you know and this is why I go back to

72:11

the point about authenticity and why I

72:12

really struggle with politicians

72:13

sometimes is

72:15

they just don't feel hit like humans

72:16

they feel like these like robots that

72:18

can't say anything or can't speak their

72:20

mind and I just honestly I get that my

72:22

my view with labor is if they manage to

72:24

get someone in to lead the party who

72:27

felt like my mate that I could I kind of

72:30

related to and tell me the good and the

72:31

bad and was just a bit of a normal

72:32

person not a suit not super rich not

72:34

whatever didn't go to eating or whatever

72:36

it is talking about both sides here I

72:38

actually think they'd win I think from

72:39

many people and Boris Johnson did win

72:41

right let's look if the test was and the

72:43

test was who do I wanna have a

72:44

cappuccino with yeah

72:46

or who do I want to figure out the

72:48

government finances get us through the

72:50

pandemic uh mend our relationship with

72:52

Europe

72:53

there's a different answer be and I

72:55

you're right it's an emotion and so

72:56

there's a great phrase right you

72:58

campaign in poetry and you government

72:59

prose because exactly it's the emotion

73:01

right yeah you know the emotion is

73:03

really important but my point is is

73:07

we see where it's got our country where

73:09

has emotion got our country and so I

73:11

think actually one of the failures of

73:13

politicians and I I also plead guilty

73:16

is we've lost the Arts to be good

73:18

teachers right political education is

73:21

lacking in our country and so I think a

73:23

good politician should use his or her

73:25

role

73:26

in an unpatronizing way to educate

73:29

people you know you had to come you ask

73:30

me really good questions about crime

73:32

right now the easy thing to say you know

73:33

just lock them up let's arrest ourselves

73:35

out of this right that place your

73:37

emotion because you want the people who

73:38

burgled your home

73:40

to be arrested

73:42

put in prison and the keys run away

73:44

right probably I'm just afraid right

73:46

but actually it's my job to in an

73:48

unpassionate way try and educate you

73:50

without excusing criminality but saying

73:52

it's a bit more complex than that right

73:53

yeah but you understand though I sat

73:55

here I get it I sat here with a

73:57

neuroscientist called tally Charlotte

73:58

and she has basically written a book

74:01

about this about how the brain um has a

74:04

default towards listening to emotion she

74:05

actually referenced Trump she said in

74:07

that debate with the with the doctor I

74:08

think it was in the 2008 elections or

74:11

2012 elections when asked about the

74:13

autism vaccines

74:16

the

74:17

the Doctor Who Um Trump was up against

74:20

in the debate reference facts stats and

74:23

figures

74:24

trump it then comes to Trump and he

74:26

tells a story about one of his mates

74:29

with a big needle you know he uses all

74:31

of this descriptive emotional

74:33

storytelling language and tally even

74:35

though she knows the science around

74:36

vaccines she said

74:39

she was a little bit put off giving her

74:40

daughter

74:41

the autism vaccine after hearing Trump

74:43

even though she knew it was nonsense and

74:45

for me that just goes to show the power

74:47

of like emotion and storytelling versus

74:49

the feeble influence that status I saw

74:52

in the brexit campaign right so what

74:54

happened exactly is is Nigel farage and

74:56

his lot put up this poster yeah but NHS

74:59

and about it the poster was a queue of

75:02

syrians

75:03

given the impression that they're going

75:05

to flood our country because of the

75:07

turkey allegedly joining the European

75:08

Union and emotionally that played to

75:11

people's concerns around immigration I

75:13

mean brexit was a proxy of immigration

75:14

right and so it was an emotional stuff

75:16

because rationally

75:18

it doesn't make sense if you work for

75:19

Nissan in Sunderland to be voting to

75:21

leave the EU because you know your your

75:23

boss is going to be affected by it right

75:25

because it's and so I don't disagree

75:27

with what you're saying your analysis I

75:29

get it it's emotion rather than rational

75:31

my point is

75:32

yes that's true in relation to human

75:35

behavior but actually at the same time

75:38

we've got to be explained to people that

75:40

actually it is an X Factor

75:43

it's about who's the best person to run

75:46

our country and sometimes that person

75:48

you know does is not going to be sexy is

75:50

not going to be charismatic some

75:52

sometimes he will be another a course of

75:54

an election and a campaign he can't be

75:57

personality comes out because you're

75:58

right personality does matter to an

76:00

extent but actually you know I want our

76:03

leaders to know how to you know how you

76:06

know how balance she works understand

76:08

what makes a business tick understands

76:10

the importance of Entrepreneurship job

76:12

creation Public Service stuff I want

76:14

that too it's just it just seems like

76:15

deep innate in human psychology is this

76:17

desire to be motivated most by our fears

76:19

our desires and and our emotions versus

76:21

logic and sense and maybe this is a

76:23

little bit of a skewed perspective I

76:25

have because I've spent the last 30 days

76:26

reading about this psychology and why

76:28

people are influenced but

76:30

um but the thing is to listen I wanted

76:33

to ask on the positive side what are you

76:34

what are you most proud of

76:37

um following your tenure so far as

76:39

London mayor what are the things that

76:40

you go do you know what we really had an

76:41

impact here for the development of

76:43

londoners air qualities that the obvious

76:46

example think of God I walk when I was

76:47

walking in from the tube station I saw

76:48

the ultra Mission Street uh that Hackney

76:50

had done really really uh well so we've

76:52

managed to so you don't see this stuff

76:54

um none of us sees this stuff but if we

76:56

were grown up in London in the 50s you'd

76:59

see the smoke

77:00

right because the power stations you

77:01

could see it usually couldn't walk

77:02

because that's more than more than a

77:04

minute and a half it was it was a killer

77:05

as well so we can't see the nitrogen

77:08

Dark Side the nitrogen oxide the

77:09

particular matter certainly the carbon

77:11

emissions but at least more than four

77:13

thousand premature deaths a year at

77:15

least to children having stunted lungs

77:16

at least to adults with a whole host of

77:18

health issues me included asthma

77:21

premature heart disease deaths cancer

77:23

and so forth we've managed to in two

77:25

years reduce the toxic care in the

77:27

centralized City by half and we're

77:29

improving it more across our City's air

77:31

quality is obviously a big one Council

77:33

housing you mentioned uh housing we last

77:36

year Well actually the last few years we

77:39

have completed more homes in London

77:41

because of our policies than any year

77:43

since the 1930s more Council homes than

77:45

any Asians 1970s more generally

77:48

affordable homes than any year since

77:49

records began not enough we've got to do

77:52

much more to increase Supply to meet uh

77:54

demand slightly shy of your goal

77:57

uh no my God is much more so my target

77:59

is 50 000 and but we're not going to get

78:01

there and I've said to the government we

78:02

need more support and it's actually

78:04

There's an opportunity if there's a

78:06

recession coming because of the way the

78:07

counter Central nature of the property

78:10

Market we can have more home buildings

78:11

actually that creates jobs and people

78:13

paying taxes and so forth look what

78:15

we've done in public transport my first

78:16

five years we froze fares the night tube

78:18

are up and running uh you know we've got

78:21

buses going all across London now more

78:22

buses too many more kilometers of buses

78:24

next year the Elizabeth line uh the

78:27

northern line extension parking

78:28

Riverside extension look at what we

78:30

talked about relationship mentors a

78:31

hundred thousand young people have a

78:33

mentor made progress in reducing uh

78:35

crime invested in young people and if

78:37

you're elected again

78:40

what's your number one Focus for London

78:44

it's all about a future where you know

78:46

we can deal with the the four issues

78:48

which are really important

78:50

fairer City so those who you know uh

78:54

need a helping out get the helping hand

78:55

a safer City I think I think

78:58

the perception is our city isn't safe on

79:00

address the reality and the perception

79:03

uh Garena City we've got to reduce

79:05

carbon emissions I was the first Global

79:07

City to declare a client emergency I've

79:09

changed the next genotype in 2050 when I

79:11

won't be around as the mayor 2030 right

79:13

will we get there and uh uh yeah but

79:15

only a third of the powers I've got the

79:17

other two thirds we need government

79:18

support retrofitting building sites uh

79:21

so forth the transport we've got we're

79:22

making progress there but you think

79:24

we're gonna uh yeah and if there's a

79:26

change of government in two years time I

79:27

hope they will be with care as prime

79:28

minister we definitely will get there

79:29

and the more prosperous city as well I

79:31

think I think our competitors are also

79:34

our collaborators the parises the

79:35

Singapore's the Hong Kongs the New Yorks

79:37

but there are competitors as well good

79:38

more prosperous

79:39

you're 52 now right yeah if you were to

79:42

um God forbid if you were to

79:45

If This Were to be your last day

79:47

what regrets would you have about the

79:49

life you've chosen to live and how

79:50

you've lived it

79:57

crikey

79:59

um

80:01

maybe not work for seven days a week

80:02

maybe more time with with my family

80:05

um

80:07

I don't think I've seen enough of the

80:08

world

80:09

you know I've only ever lived in two

80:10

tonight it's been three years in North

80:11

London one year in godalming at Law

80:13

School uh when I was in Guildford

80:15

uh I mean I've seen the world as a

80:18

tourist right but not not I'm not really

80:19

experienced it you mentioned the long

80:20

time you spent in the jungle and stuff

80:21

and I've not I've not done that maybe

80:23

I'm I missed that

80:25

um

80:26

got a picture here for you that's my dad

80:29

he passed away was it two thousand

80:32

September the 4th 2003.

80:35

um I remember vividly it was

80:38

it was the one thing in my life that's

80:40

that's really knocked me sideways

80:42

um

80:44

and

80:47

I still grieve my dad you know

80:50

um and I've never got help even though I

80:52

was struggling the time

80:54

because I think I think

80:58

you should grieve for people you love it

81:01

should affect your mental illness it

81:03

should uh debilitate you

81:07

um

81:08

he was this amazing man you know this

81:10

was a guy who

81:13

um

81:13

no ways of Graces

81:16

watch the news he'd read the papers he

81:19

would spend time with the kids he would

81:20

you know he would never say no to

81:22

overtime in the garage never say what's

81:23

on the garage

81:26

thoroughly decent man he when he retired

81:29

he would spend time in the mosque he was

81:31

the mazim the moisin is the guy that

81:33

doesn't hold a prayer did you did you

81:35

did you get to did you speak to him

81:36

properly no no that's that's a regret

81:39

that we didn't get the quality you know

81:41

Anisa was

81:43

my eldest daughter was

81:44

five when it four when he passed away

81:46

Mara was two that didn't get the name

81:48

really I didn't have the he would have

81:49

loved me being a man he would have loved

81:51

you know my support in a Southern

81:54

Cathedral with the swearing ceremony how

81:56

old were you when he passed away I was

81:57

33 and what I think about it I was too

82:00

young when he passed and you know I

82:02

didn't I was depressed at the time I was

82:03

depressed you know I saw this boy that

82:06

that this I wasn't I wasn't functioning

82:08

I threw myself I threw myself into work

82:12

um shortly after I ran to be the labor

82:14

candidate actually because that's how I

82:16

got through this uh time but I think

82:20

about my youngest brother was only 25

82:21

when he passed and and I was and and

82:24

we've now I think since we've had kids

82:27

that's that's made us much more touchy

82:29

feeling talking about feelings and stuff

82:30

we hug and we say I love you and stuff

82:32

and we are there words unsaid to him

82:34

yeah without a doubt what are those

82:37

words

82:38

um

82:41

yeah they're between it they're between

82:42

him and me to be honest but um

82:54

we have a closing tradition on this

82:56

podcast where the last guest asks a

82:57

question for the next guest

82:59

um not knowing who they're leaving it

83:00

for you will know who this person is but

83:02

I can't tell you

83:04

um

83:05

the question they've left is everyone

83:06

gets really nervous when I get to this

83:08

question I don't know why it's weird

83:09

nobody cares about my questions but then

83:10

when this one comes it takes people

83:12

forever to answer if you could give one

83:14

piece of advice to yourself at the start

83:17

of

83:18

your life what would it have been

83:26

that's a good one

83:28

um

83:31

enjoy the experience

83:33

why that

83:35

because often

83:36

I don't know if you get to do it you're

83:38

so busy you don't get to enjoy it

83:40

uh

83:42

when you speak to people who have we

83:44

talked with

83:45

talked teasingly about being an

83:47

exposition

83:48

they they follow the memory

83:51

but they didn't enjoy the experience

83:55

and I remember saying I remember famous

83:58

footballer Gary Neville been interviewed

84:01

said he didn't really enjoy it and I

84:02

think I found it odd you know you you're

84:05

not enjoying the experience uh and so I

84:07

enjoy the experience you know and

84:09

actually

84:11

you know when you're ambitious you're

84:13

always trying to do the next thing right

84:16

and it's and I think ambition is

84:17

important is important to you know to

84:19

have you know

84:20

a grasp greater than your reach

84:23

but in the meantime enjoy the experience

84:26

have you enjoyed the experience loved it

84:28

I loved it but you know about that but

84:30

but question am I saving it with my

84:32

friends and family enough have I just

84:34

been too busy and too blinkered in

84:35

relation to

84:37

in relation to sharing the enjoyment

84:39

experience

84:40

um and I tried I tried doing that more

84:42

as I try and I try and include

84:44

silent the girls more in the stuff that

84:45

I do to make sure they enjoy the

84:47

experience and my friends and and you

84:48

know my my family and so forth

84:51

thank you thank you for your time um and

84:54

thank you for being here I am I'm very

84:56

as I said I'm very compelled by by

84:59

politicians and the world of politics

85:01

because it's it's not a world that I

85:03

know necessarily well but it's world

85:04

world that I observe with great Intrigue

85:06

and and wonder

85:07

um I'd say dissatisfaction largely the

85:12

cylinder just because it just seems to

85:13

be so far away from the like what I love

85:15

about I don't know humans these

85:19

politicians you admire either overseas

85:21

or here

85:22

um I loved Barack Obama I thought he was

85:24

Great America yeah I know yeah exactly I

85:27

think I think because he he felt

85:29

incredibly human I remember watching him

85:31

cry on after Sandy Hook and I he just

85:34

felt like a good man with a good family

85:35

and good morals and I kind of felt like

85:37

he had

85:38

he'd uh he was he was authentic

85:42

um that's a good one yeah I think he's

85:43

probably he's my number one

85:45

um the problem is you set your bar so

85:47

high I know none of us are Barack Obama

85:49

yeah I know but I think everyone has the

85:51

potential to be to to anything

85:54

Obama's an easy one who else

85:57

oh gosh

86:00

I like Bernie Sanders as well another

86:02

guy that I just I I connect with and I

86:04

think he's very authentically driven

86:07

um to make the world a better place

86:09

um and I see that in your story as well

86:11

I see you know when you hear your your

86:12

upbringing and you hear you know what

86:14

your parents went through and your

86:15

grandparents went through and that the

86:16

plight of your

86:17

um those that came before you you see

86:18

that you can see a clear reason why

86:20

sometimes I struggle with that sometimes

86:21

I struggle to understand why people are

86:23

going into politics I think it's because

86:24

of status or because they want to be

86:26

famous or they want power and now

86:28

um

86:29

but but I don't see that in you I don't

86:32

see you know you had a very well paid

86:34

job before you chose to to embark on

86:36

this career path and your origin story

86:38

is riddled with all the motivation one

86:40

would need to pursue such a path so

86:42

so thank you thank you for coming here

86:44

today um I wish you the very very best

86:46

on your re-election

86:47

um I I applaud you on the fact that

86:49

knife crime has gone down since you

86:51

became

86:52

um mayor of London and I would hope that

86:54

by the time you leave office the city

86:57

feels a lot safer than it currently does

86:58

for me I really do hope we hit our um

87:00

carbon emissions targets by 2030 we're

87:03

able to build more housing and I hope

87:05

London holds its status in the world as

87:07

a place that people want to come live

87:09

and stay long long beyond their own sort

87:11

of personal successes So yeah thank you

87:13

so much

87:15

at the start it's very uncomfortable for

87:17

me to hear that but it's important you

87:19

hear that and this is one of the things

87:20

I've tried to do is is rather than well

87:24

it's very easy and you're very generous

87:26

in your comments about me and my faith

87:28

and my my background

87:30

to be the only person in my position who

87:33

looks like me I get this there's this

87:34

you know there's only one of me right

87:36

what's fun and and the same goes for you

87:38

but what you do which is which I've

87:39

tried to do as well in different ways is

87:42

put down letters for others right

87:44

because there shouldn't just be one guy

87:45

like you there should be many others

87:46

like you and the same goes in politics

87:48

as well and I meant what I said because

87:50

the interesting about you and the same

87:52

applies to these useless you you ever

87:54

watch what Idris Elba does or

87:56

resolvement all these other guys

87:58

their work ethic and what worries me is

88:01

somehow

88:02

somebody's told young people you can get

88:04

rich quick

88:05

there's a shortcut to being

88:07

the mayor or running the law firm or

88:10

being a successful entrepreneur or being

88:13

a pop star you ever listened to what Ed

88:15

Sheeran did before they became

88:16

successful or Adele

88:19

or stormzy that work ethic and I've met

88:21

what I said about you because listen

88:23

obviously there aren't many people in

88:24

your oppositions who look like you has

88:26

to be frank who dress like you who talk

88:28

like you who've got your backstory now

88:30

you've never asked to be a role model

88:31

right

88:33

you will never meet people who look up

88:35

to you but it's a fact right and so I'm

88:38

not gonna say I'm the mayor right and my

88:39

job is to you know do this thing what I

88:41

call the Learning promise

88:42

work hard I'll give you the help in hand

88:44

you can be anything and I and I love the

88:47

way you do it with with ease and make

88:48

people feel if I can do it you can do it

88:51

and that's that's not because you don't

88:52

say it like it's easy I did it

88:55

but if I can do you can do it but you've

88:57

got to work hard yeah and I'm really

88:58

happy I'm really happy that we have a

89:00

London mayor that looks like you you

89:02

know your presence alone is London mayor

89:04

is a really Positive Single signal to

89:06

lots of young

89:08

um ethnically diverse kids that are

89:09

hoping to set foot in politics and it's

89:12

a real shame that you've been treated in

89:13

terms of the death threats and the

89:14

online abuse and such of all the way but

89:16

unfortunately that seems to be the

89:18

nature of nature of the world and social

89:20

media hopefully we can change that

89:21

thanks a lot

89:24

hahaha

89:25

[Music]

89:31

[Music]

89:37

[Music]

Interactive Summary

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.

Suggested questions

4 ready-made prompts