Story perspectives

Khan Responds in Urdu as Conservatives Call It “Poisonous”

By Drooid · Sep 17, 2026, 10:17 PM UTC · How we work

Left

Urdu outreach controversy

London Mayor Sadiq Khan answered Green Party candidate Zack Polanski in Urdu during a London Assembly meeting on 17 September 2026.
Labour MP Naz Shah called the mayor’s Urdu reply ‘pure class’, framing it as inclusive representation for linguistic minorities.
Greens defended the Urdu outreach as legitimate voter engagement, arguing multilingual campaigning expands democratic participation.
Conservative spokesman Katie Lam condemned the tactic as ‘poisonous’ and urged a ban on foreign-language political advertising.

Right

Poisonous Urdu Tactics

London Mayor Sadiq Khan answered Green Party leader Zack Polanski’s question in Urdu during a London Assembly meeting on 17 September 2026.
The episode was portrayed as a calculated mockery, prompting laughter from Assembly members and underscoring a perceived political stunt.
Khan began “as-salamu alaykum,” switched to English, saying he feared Polanski would ask in Urdu.
Conservative MP Katie Lam called Polanski’s Urdu tactics “poisonous” and urged banning non-English political ads.

Blindspot

Labour MP Naz Shah tweeted that Mayor Sadiq Khan’s Urdu reply was “pure class,” praising the use of his heritage language.
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Left-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Right-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

After the UK Parliament passed the Welsh Language Act in 1993, which required public bodies to treat Welsh and English equally, the model was copied in Ireland’s 2003 Official Languages Act and Scotland’s 2005 Gaelic Act and later expanded by Wales’s 2011 Measure. On 17 September 2026, Mayor Sadiq Khan answered Green leader Zack Polanski in Urdu, reviving debate over multilingual rules.

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Urdu outreach controversy

London Mayor Sadiq Khan answered Green Party candidate Zack Polanski in Urdu during a London Assembly meeting on 17 September 2026.
Labour MP Naz Shah called the mayor’s Urdu reply ‘pure class’, framing it as inclusive representation for linguistic minorities.
Greens defended the Urdu outreach as legitimate voter engagement, arguing multilingual campaigning expands democratic participation.
Conservative spokesman Katie Lam condemned the tactic as ‘poisonous’ and urged a ban on foreign-language political advertising.

1 / 4