A Decade of Sadiq Khan’s Mayoral Leadership in London

Sadiq Khan was first elected mayor of London in May 2016, re-elected in 2021 and 2024, each time defeating a Conservative challenger. His tenure spanned Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, four terror attacks in 2017 and the Grenfell Tower fire. Khan says the city’s “winning coalition” of Conservative remainers, Greens, Liberal Democrats and Labour supporters has been essential to his three victories.

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• ULEZ now covers all of Greater London, removing the dirtiest vehicles.

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• significant 640,000 new trees planted to boost flood and heat-wave resilience.

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• Cycle-lane network quadrupled and 20 mph speed limits have helped prevent over 250 road fatalities.

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• NO2 levels fell within legal limits for the first time since 2010, per King’s College London.

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Khan emphasizes coalition building and notes he received no formal backing from the Conservative government, Labour leadership or Liberal Democrats for the 2023 ULEZ expansion. He warns that denigrating the Green Party turns people off and weakens progressive alliances. Trump labelled Khan a terrible mayor and alleged a shift toward sharia law; Khan responded by accusing Trump of racism, sexism, misogyny and Islamophobia. Critics, including local residents and business groups, opposed the ULEZ extension, while experts flagged the Silvertown tunnel and warned that PM2.5 levels remain above WHO guidelines. SUV growth and weak housing resilience also draw criticism.

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Khan asserts he had “no support” from the national Labour Party during the ULEZ rollout, yet later references Labour’s 2024 landslide victory, indicating mixed intra-party dynamics. Experts agree on air-quality improvements but note insufficient data on the long-term impact of the Silvertown tunnel and on housing adaptation to heatwaves.

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• “I’m somebody who’s quite pugnacious. I used to be a litigation lawyer, so I’m quite adversarial,” — Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London

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• “It is not nice. It has a personal cost to me and my family and my staff.” — Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London

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• “terrible, terrible mayor” — Donald Trump, former U.S. President (UN General Assembly, 2025)

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• “racist, sexist, misogynistic and Islamophobic” — Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London (response to Trump)

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Khan aims to complete full pedestrianisation of Oxford Street, expand waterway clean-up, curb SUV growth and position the City of London as a global green-finance hub. He also plans stronger flood-defence measures and accelerated housing upgrades to protect vulnerable communities from climate-related risks.

The Guardian