Jump to content

Sadiq Khan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 92.17.229.71 (talk) at 12:11, 1 May 2016. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For the 18th-century shah of Persia, see Sadiq Khan Zand.

The Right Honourable
Sadiq Khan
MP
Shadow Minister for London
In office
16 January 2013 – 11 May 2015
LeaderEd Miliband
Preceded byTessa Jowell
Succeeded byVacant
Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
Shadow Lord Chancellor
In office
8 October 2010 – 11 May 2015
LeaderEd Miliband
Preceded byJack Straw
Succeeded byThe Lord Falconer of Thoroton
Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
In office
14 May 2010 – 8 October 2010
LeaderHarriet Harman
Ed Miliband
Preceded byThe Lord Adonis
Succeeded byMaria Eagle
Minister of State for Transport
In office
8 June 2009 – 11 May 2010
Prime MinisterGordon Brown
Preceded byThe Lord Adonis
Succeeded byTheresa Villiers
Minister of State for Communities
In office
4 October 2008 – 8 June 2009
Prime MinisterGordon Brown
Preceded byParmjit Dhanda
Succeeded byShahid Malik
Member of Parliament
for Tooting
Incumbent
Assumed office
5 May 2005
Preceded byTom Cox
Majority2,842 (5.3%)
Personal details
Born
Sadiq Aman Khan

(1970-10-08) 8 October 1970 (age 54)
Tooting, London, United Kingdom
Political partyLabour
SpouseSaadiya Ahmed (1994–present)[1]
Children2
Alma materUniversity of North London
College of Law
WebsiteOfficial website

Sadiq Aman Khan[3] (Template:Lang-ur; born 8 October 1970) is a British politician and lawyer who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tooting since 2005 general election. A member of the Labour Party, he is standing as the party's candidate to be Mayor of London in the 2016 mayoral election. Ideologically, he is situated on the moderate social democratic wing of the party.

Born in London, Khan gained a degree in law at the University of North London. He subsequently began work as a solicitor specialising in human rights. Khan was a councillor in the London Borough of Wandsworth from 1994 to 2006.

In 2008 he was appointed Minister of State for Communities by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, becoming the second British Pakistani to serve in government.[nb 1] Khan later served as Minister of State for Transport. He joined the Shadow Cabinet of Ed Miliband as Shadow Secretary of State for Justice and Shadow Lord Chancellor in 2010.[4] On 16 January 2013 he was also appointed Shadow Minister for London;[5] on 11 May 2015 he resigned from the shadow cabinet to seek nomination as the Labour Party's mayoral candidate. On 11 September 2015, Khan was selected as the Labour candidate to run for the London mayoralty.[6]

Early life

Khan was born at St George's Hospital in Tooting, South London, the fifth of eight children (seven sons and a daughter) in a family of Pakistani immigrants.[7][8] His grandparents migrated from India to Pakistan following the partition of India in 1947, and his parents emigrated to England from Pakistan shortly before Khan was born.[7] His late father, Amanullah Khan, worked as a bus driver for over 25 years; his mother, Sehrun, was a seamstress.[7] From his earliest years, Khan worked, “I was surrounded by my mum and dad working all the time, so as soon as I could get a job, I got a job. I got a paper round, a Saturday job – some summers I laboured on a building site.”[7] The family continues to send money to relatives in Pakistan, "because we’re blessed being in this country.”[7]

Khan and his siblings grew up in a three-bedroom council flat on the Henry Prince Estate in Earlsfield; until Khan was 24, he shared a bunkbed.[7] Khan attended Fircroft Primary School and a local comprehensive school, Ernest Bevin College.

Khan studied science and mathematics at A-level, in the hope of eventually qualifying as a dentist. A teacher recommended that he read law, as he had an argumentative personality. The teacher's suggestion, along with the television programme LA Law, inspired Khan to do so. He entered the University of North London to study law.[7]

He was a visiting lecturer at the University of North London, and a Governor of South Thames FE College. Vice-Chairman of the Legal Action Group (LAG), Khan also served as Chairman of the civil liberties pressure group Liberty (NCCL) for three years.

Before entering the House of Commons in 2005, Khan practised as a solicitor.

He completed the Law Society finals at the College of Law in Guildford. From 1994 to 1997, he was employed as a trainee solicitor and assistant solicitor and from 1997 to 2005, was a partner in the firm Christian Khan with Louise Christian.[7][9]

During his legal career he acted in actions against the police, employment and discrimination law, judicial reviews, inquests and crime, and was involved in cases including the following:

  • Bubbins vs The United Kingdom (European Court of Human Rights – shooting of an unarmed individual by police marksmen)[10]
  • HSU and Thompson v Met Police (wrongful arrest/police damages)[11]
  • Reeves v Met Police (duty of care to prisoners)[12]
  • Murray v CAB (discrimination)[13]
  • Ahmed v University of Oxford (racial discrimination against a student)[14]
  • Dr Jadhav v Secretary of State for Health (racial discrimination in the employment of Indian doctors by the health service)[15]
  • CI Logan v Met Police (racial discrimination)[16]
  • Supt Dizaei v Met Police (police damages, discrimination)[17]
  • Inquest into the death of David Rocky Bennett (use of restraints)[18]
  • Lead solicitor on Mayday demonstration 2001 test case litigation (Human Rights Act)[19]
  • Farakhan v Home Secretary (Human Rights Act)[20]
  • In February 2000, Khan represented a group of Kurdish actors who were arrested by Metropolitan Police during a rehearsal of the Harold Pinter play Mountain Language, securing £150,000 in damages for the group for wrongful arrest and the trauma caused by their arrest.[21]
  • McDowell and Taylor v Met Police: Leroy McDowell and Wayne Taylor successfully sued the Metropolitan Police for assault and false imprisonment.[22]

Political career

Councillor

Khan represented Tooting as a Councillor for the London Borough of Wandsworth from 1994 to 2006, and was granted the title of Honorary Alderman of Wandsworth upon his retirement from local politics.

Member of Parliament

In 2003, Tooting Constituency Labour Party decided to open its parliamentary selection to all interested candidates, including the incumbent MP since 1974, Tom Cox. This prompted Cox, then in his mid-70s, to announce his retirement rather than risk de-selection. In the subsequent selection contest, Khan defeated five other local candidates to become Labour's candidate for the seat. He was elected to Parliament at the 2005 general election.

Khan was awarded the "Newcomer of the Year Award" at the 2005 Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year Awards "for the tough-mindedness and clarity with which he has spoken about the very difficult issues of Islamic terror".[23] In August 2006, he was a signatory of an open letter to Tony Blair criticising UK foreign policy.[24]

Khan had to repay £500 in expenses in 2007 in relation to a newsletter sent to constituents featuring a 'Labour rose', which was deemed to be unduly prominent. While the content of the newsletter was not deemed to be party political, the rose logo was found to be unduly prominent which may have had the effect of promoting a political party. There was no suggestion that Khan had deliberately or dishonestly compiled his expenses claims, which were not explicitly disallowed under the rules at that time. The rules were retrospectively changed disallowing the claim, which had previously been approved by the House of Commons authorities.[25][26]

On 3 February 2008, The Sunday Times[27] claimed that a conversation between Khan and prisoner Babar Ahmad – a constituent accused and later convicted of involvement in terrorism – at Woodhill Prison in Milton Keynes had been bugged by the Metropolitan Police Anti-Terrorist Branch.[28] An inquiry was launched by Justice Secretary Jack Straw.[28] There was some concern that the bugging contravened the Wilson Doctrine that police should not bug MPs. The report concluded that the doctrine did not apply because it was ordered by a police officer and not an MP.[29]

In 2010, Khan was re-elected as the MP for Tooting despite a swing against his party of 3.6% and a halving of his previous majority. In the subsequent Labour leadership election Khan was an early backer of Ed Miliband, becoming his campaign manager.[30] Khan masterminded Miliband's win over his elder brother David, and was tipped as a future rising star of the Labour Party, jumping 82 places in one year to 16th in The Daily Telegraph's 'top 100 most influential left-wingers' poll'.

In April 2010 it was revealed that Khan had repaid falsely claimed expenses on two occasions, when literature was sent to his constituents. The first incident concerned letters sent out before the 2010 General Election which were ruled to have the "unintentional effect of promoting his return to office", the second a £2,550 repayment for Christmas, Eid, and birthday cards for constituents, dating back to 2006.[31] Under House of Commons rules, pre-paid envelopes and official stationery can only be used for official parliamentary business.[32][33][34] Khan's claim for the greetings cards was initially rejected, but he presented a new invoice no longer identifying the nature of the claim, and this was accepted. Khan attributed the improper claim for the cards to "inexperience" and human error and apologised for breaking the expenses rules.[35][36]

At the 2015 general election, Khan was returned for a third term as MP for Tooting, defeating his Conservative rival by 2,842 votes.[3] He was one of 36 Labour MPs to nominate Jeremy Corbyn as a candidate in the Labour leadership election of 2015, but has said that he was "no patsy" to Mr Corbyn and would stand up to him.[37][38]

Government

Khan speaking in 2011

Following Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Cabinet reshuffle of 3 October 2008, Khan was appointed Minister of State for Communities, replacing Parmjit Dhanda, and becoming the second Muslim to serve in the UK Government. Before the House of Commons in January 2009, Khan criticised the Pope for the rehabilitation of Bishop Richard Williamson following his remarks about the Holocaust, a move he described as "highly unsavoury" and of "great concern".[39]

In 2009, he became the first Muslim to attend Cabinet upon his appointment as Minister of State for Transport.[40] In what was believed to be a first for an MP, Khan used his Twitter account to self-announce his promotion as Transport Secretary.[41]

In March 2010, Khan publicly stated that for a second successive year he would not be taking a pay rise as an MP or Minister, declaring "At a time when many people in Tooting and throughout the country are having to accept pay freezes I don't think it's appropriate for MPs to accept a pay rise."[42] For his first fifteen months' service in HM Government, he chose not to draw a ministerial incremental salary, having made sufficient money as a lawyer.

Shadow Cabinet

In the wake of Labour's 2010 election defeat, Acting Leader Harriet Harman appointed Khan Shadow Secretary of State for Transport.[43]

After running Ed Miliband's successful leadership campaign, Khan was previously rewarded with the senior roles of Shadow Lord Chancellor and Shadow Justice Secretary. He was advanced as Shadow Minister for London, in addition to his other responsibilities, in 2013.

He is regularly named among the Top 100 London politicians in the London Evening Standard's annual poll of the 1,000 most influential Londoners[44] and is an Ambassador for Mosaic[disambiguation needed], an initiative set up by Prince Charles.

Mayoral candidacy

Main article: London mayoral election, 2016

In 2013, Sadiq Khan appeared on a number of speaker platforms and in the press discussing the 2016 London mayoral election, and was quoted in the London Evening Standard saying he would consider running for Mayor of London.

In May 2015, he declared his intention to become the Labour Party's mayoral candidate. In September 2015, Khan won the selection, polling 37.5% of the first round vote with former minister Tessa Jowell in second place on 29.7%. In the final round, following the elimination of lower-placed candidates, Khan took 58.9% against 41.1% for Jowell.[45]

In November 2015 Sadiq Khan made a promise to freeze all London’s Tube, train and bus fares for four years if elected Mayor.[46] He said that this would cost £450m over four years, but TfL said that the real cost would be £1.9 billion, saying that Khan had not considered "increasing ridership over the Business Plan (passenger numbers are rising by 5 per cent every year) and there will be new fares revenue from Crossrail when it opens in 2018/19".[47]

Political views

Writing for The Spectator, the political commentator Nick Cohen described Khan as a centre-left social democrat,[48] while the journalist Amol Rajan termed him "a torch-bearer for the social democratic wing" of the Labour Party.[49]

Awards and nominations

In January 2013 and 2015, Khan was nominated for the Politician of the Year award at the British Muslim Awards.[50] In February 2016, he was awarded the Politician of the Year award at the British Muslim Awards.[51]

Personal life

Khan married Saadiya Ahmed, a fellow solicitor, in 1994 and has two daughters, Anisah (born 1999) and Ammarah (born 2001).[7] A keen follower of sport, he supports Liverpool FC in football and Surrey County Cricket Club in cricket.

He serves as a Governor of Fircroft School and of Gatton School, both in Tooting.

Khan also served as Chairman of the Fabian Society,[52] remaining on its Executive Committee. In 2009 he won the Jenny Jeger Award (Best Fabian Pamphlet) for his writing "Fairness not Favours: How to re-connect with British Muslims". He also edited the Fabian Essay Collection Our London: the Capital beyond 2015.

In 2013 Khan claimed to have received death threats for voting in favour of the Same-Sex Marriage Bill.[53][54] Tabloid sources reported that the imam of a Bradford mosque issued a fatwa in which he declared him to no longer be a Muslim; and police subsequently advised him to review his security.[53][54]

Styles of address

  • 1970–2005: Mr Sadiq Aman Khan
  • 2005–2009: Mr Sadiq Aman Khan MP
  • 2009–: The Right Honourable Sadiq Aman Khan MP

See also

References

  1. ^ Bindmans. "Saadia Khan – Bindmans LLP".
  2. ^ Khan, Sadiq. "Question Time". Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Tooting Constituency – Parliamentary election results May 2015 – Wandsworth Council".
  4. ^ "Ex-Home Secretary Johnson is named shadow chancellor". BBC News. 8 October 2010.
  5. ^ "Ed Miliband asks Sadiq Khan to lead London election campaign". London Evening Standard.
  6. ^ "Sadiq Khan wins Labour mayoral selection". BBC News. 11 September 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Eaton, George. "The pugilist: Sadiq Khan's quest to become mayor of London". The New Statesman. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  8. ^ Rowena Mason and Simon Hattenstone (31 May 2015). "Sadiq Khan says 'aspiration' will be Labour leadership race's most overused word". The Observer. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  9. ^ Imran Khan and Partners Solicitors. "Departure of Sadiq Khan – ::Imran Khan and Partners Solicitors, London, UK::". christiankhan.co.uk.
  10. ^ Martin, Neil (24 February 2006). "Bubbins v United Kingdom: Civil Remedies and the Right to Life – Martin – 2006 beav". Modern Law Review. 69 (2). Wiley Online Library: 242–249. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2230.2006.00583_1.x.
  11. ^ Magrath, Paul (28 February 1997). "Law report: Juries to be given guidance on awards against police". The Independent. London.
  12. ^ Law Lords Department. "House of Lords – Commissioners of Police for the Metropolis v. Reeves (A.P.) (Joint Administratix of the Estate of Martin Lynch, Deceased)". Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  13. ^ "Latest British Employment Law News". emplaw.co.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2011.[dead link‍]
  14. ^ "Latest British Employment Law News". emplaw.co.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2011.[dead link‍]
  15. ^ "Jadhav v Secretary of State for Health". Homepage.ntlworld.com. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  16. ^ "Black officer's 'six figure sum' payout". BBC News. 13 November 2003.
  17. ^ Ali Dizaei
  18. ^ "David 'Rocky' Bennett Inquiry Report. News from Christian Khan Solicitors, London UK". Christiankhan.co.uk. 5 February 2004. Archived from the original on 11 March 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ "Austin and another v Metropolitan Police Commissioner – [2009] All ER (D) 227 (Jan)". Lexisweb.co.uk. 28 January 2009. Archived from the original on 11 March 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ "Farrakhan UK ban overturned". BBC News. 31 July 2001.
  21. ^ Verkaik, Robert (2 February 2000). "£150,000 for police raid on Kurdish Pinter play". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ "Analysis: Officers' fear of being branded racist has done little to reduce bias over suspects". The Independent. London. 8 November 2002.
  23. ^ "Parliamentarian of the Year". The Spectator. 19 November 2005. Archived from the original on 16 June 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ "Minister criticises Muslim letter". BBC News. 12 August 2006. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ "Microsoft Word – Baker-Bruce-Khan – CRC Rep.doc" (PDF). Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  26. ^ "Minister's rose emblem broke rule". BBC News. 13 December 2007. Archived from the original on 17 October 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ Michael Gillard; Jonathan Calvert (3 February 2008). "Police bugged Muslim MP Sadiq Khan". The Sunday Times. London.
  28. ^ a b "Khan welcomes 'bugging' inquiry". BBC News. 3 February 2008. Archived from the original on 25 March 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  29. ^ Dodd, Vikram (22 February 2008). "Bugging of MP on prison visit did not break the rules, inquiry finds". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 31 August 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  30. ^ Harding, Eleanor (15 May 2010). "EXCLUSIVE: 'I'm backing Ed Miliband', says Sadiq Khan MP". Your Local Guardian. Wandsworth. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  31. ^ Kirkup, James (12 April 2010). "General election 2010: Transport minister Sadiq Khan in election expenses row". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 23 November 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  32. ^ Beckford, Martin (9 December 2010). "MPs' expenses: 17 MPs were re-elected after secret deals on expenses". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 13 November 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  33. ^ Beckford, Martin (10 December 2010). "MPs' expenses: the secret deals revealed". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 14 December 2010. Retrieved 11 December 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  34. ^ "'Secretly' resolved MPs' expenses cases made public". The Guardian. London. 9 December 2010. Archived from the original on 13 December 2010. Retrieved 11 December 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  35. ^ Brown, David (16 March 2010). "Transport Minister Sadiq Khan repays 2500 wrongly claimed on expenses". The Times. London.
  36. ^ "Minister repays £2,500 expenses". BBC News. 15 March 2010. Archived from the original on 23 March 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  37. ^ "Who nominated who for the 2015 Labour leadership election?".
  38. ^ "Londoners should not let Corbyn 'experiment' with city – PM". BBC News.
  39. ^ Prince, Rosa (29 January 2009). "Minister criticises Pope for pardoning Holocaust denial bishop". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  40. ^ Harding, Eleanor (6 June 2009). "Tooting MP Sadiq Khan named first Muslim cabinet minister in Gordon Brown's reshuffle". The Wandsworth Guardian. Retrieved 6 June 2009.
  41. ^ Banerjee, Subhajit (7 June 2009). "Minister appointment on Twitter". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  42. ^ "Minister: All MPs should give up their Ł1,000 pay rise". London Evening Herald. 8 March 2010. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  43. ^ "Exclusive: 'Bitter-sweet' promotion for Sadiq Khan MP". Wandsworth Guardian. 14 May 2010. Archived from the original on 1 March 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  44. ^ "London's 1000 most influential people 2010: Politics". London Evening Standard. 26 November 2010. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  45. ^ Wintour, Patrick. "Sadiq Khan elected as Labour's candidate for mayor of Londo". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  46. ^ "Sadiq Khan pledges four-year freeze of all fares if elected Mayor". Evening Standard. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  47. ^ "Sadiq Khan's fare freeze would cost £1.9bn, says TfL". BBC News.
  48. ^ Nick Cohen (10 February 2016). "Would Jeremy Corbyn prefer George Galloway to be Mayor of London?". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 11 February 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  49. ^ Amol Rajan (15 September 2015). "After Boris, Mayor Khan for London?". Politico.
  50. ^ "Winners honoured at British Muslim Awards". Asian Image. 31 January 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2015. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  51. ^ "British Muslim Awards 2016". Asian World. 17 February 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  52. ^ "Executive Committee – The Fabian Society – where the British left thinks". Fabians.org.uk. Archived from the original on 11 October 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  53. ^ a b Roberts, Scott (18 February 2008). "Labour MP Sadiq Khan receives death threats for supporting same-sex marriage". Pink News. Archived from the original on 21 February 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  54. ^ a b Abul Taher (16 February 2013). "Death threats to UK's top Muslim MP who voted for gay marriage". Mail Online. Retrieved 9 February 2016.

Notes

  1. ^ The first was Shahid Malik, who was appointed as International Development Minister in 2007.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Tooting
2005–present 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of State for Communities
2008–2009 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of State for Transport
2009–2010 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
2010 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
2010–2015 		Succeeded by
Shadow Lord Chancellor
2010–2015
Preceded by Shadow Minister for London
2013–2015 		Vacant
Party political offices
Preceded by Chair of the Fabian Society
2008–2010 		Succeeded by

Template:London mayoral election, 2016

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sadiq_Khan&oldid=718081502"