‘Weaponising Jewish people is wrong’: Sadiq Khan on anti-Semitism, Ulez and the upcoming electoral battle

For most of this year it was widely accepted that the Tories had given up on London. Sadiq Khan seemed unbeatable and the party’s hunt for a mayoral candidate to run against him became a farce as various ‘big names’ refused to run. Then Daniel Korski, the frontrunner for the candidacy, had to drop out over a #MeToo row and it fell to Susan Hall to lead the charge. And yet, despite the political drama, the Tories are within touching distance of victory at City Hall – just a couple of points behind Labour in the polls. London looks winnable.

When I meet Khan for an interview in front of an audience at Labour party conference, he tells me he’s taking nothing for granted. ‘I’m the least complacent person you will find,’ he says. ‘Why is it going to be tough? The government has deliberately changed the rules of the game and moved the goalposts to make it more difficult.’

Khan is referring to the changes to the voting system. Until now, Londoners have been able to vote for a second- and third-preference candidate. The Labour candidate may, for example, pick up second-preference votes for those who put Greens and Lib Dems first. The new rules, which come into effect for May’s election, will impose a single-vote, first-past-the-post system. So you can either cast a protest vote or choose someone who may win. You can’t do both. Voters must prove their identities at the polling station. ‘Twenty per cent of Londoners who are eligible to vote have not got photo ID,’ Khan says. ‘They tend to be black, Asian and minority ethnic Londoners… The Tories are so determined to win and this is one of the reasons why, by the way, they are the most successful political party in the western world.’

But there are other reasons Khan may struggle to win.