Celebrating Britain's 101 Most Influential Asians 2021

In association with edwardian hotel

© Asian Media Group - 2024

#GG2PowerList

Sadiq Khan


winners

“THE first time I met Sadiq Khan was in 2003,”  remembers Barnie Choudhury, former BBC social affairs correspondent. “His firm, Christian Khan, was advising the National Black Police Association in a case involving a senior Metropolitan police officer.

“We needed to get to the Old Bailey, and I suggested we jump in a cab. He was having none of it. ‘My dad was a bus driver, if the bus was good for him then it’s good enough for me. We’re catching the bus’, and we did.’”

If you need a story which sums up Khan, it is that. Working class roots – check. Public service– check. Fighting for underdogs – check. Khan was a human rights lawyer, and he won many a famous cases.

When we speak in December for the GG2 Power List, Khan is relaxed, and he has his trademark steely determination but oozes charisma. He is a pugilist. Unafraid to talk about any topic, and unafraid to speak his mind, no matter who disagrees with him or who he may upset. For example, why isn’t the government doing more to help vulnerable south Asians? “I think it’s a combination of incompetence, and lack of foresight from the government,” he says.

“They don’t seem to have got a grip with this. They explained their slowness in March by saying we didn’t think we’d get the virus. We’ve had eight, nine months since March. The second wave in the scale it has come in wasn’t inevitable. It’s been caused by the lack of proper test-traceisolate support rather than trusting regional leaders like myself, and others across the country or councils.”

Khan agrees it really has been a tough year for Londoners. The pandemic has affected every facet of this country’s capital city. Theatres, restaurants, tourism have been all-but closed

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