Meet Sadiq
London gave Sadiq the chance to go from the council estate where he grew up to being Mayor of the greatest city on earth.
He strongly believes that all Londoners—regardless of borough or background—should be given the same opportunities they need to fulfil their potential. It’s why he’s dedicated his life to public service; because he’s passionate about giving back to the city that’s given so much to him and his family.
Nothing motivates him more than tackling injustice and inequality, and removing the barriers that prevent Londoners from getting on and making the most of their talents.
Standing up
for victims of discrimination
A child of immigrants, Sadiq was born and raised in Tooting, south London, where he still lives today.
His father was a bus driver and his mother a seamstress. Growing up, money was tight but thanks to a secure council home, a good comprehensive school education and affordable university tuition, Sadiq was able to qualify as a human rights lawyer and put his principles into practice, representing victims of discrimination.
He gave up a distinguished, successful career in law because he felt he could make a bigger difference to people’s lives working in politics. After serving as the MP for Tooting for 11 years, during which time he became the first Muslim to attend cabinet as a Minister for Transport, Sadiq successfully stood to be Mayor of London.
Building a better London for everyone
He’s delivered the Elizabeth Line, the Night Tube, and the Superloop, making it easier, faster, and safer to get around the capital. By introducing the Hopper fare and freezing bus and tram fares seven times, he’s made it more affordable, too.
Sadiq also implemented the ULEZ—the world’s first and largest clean air zone—to protect Londoners’ lungs from pollution. Last year, the levels of toxic nitrogen dioxide in London’s air fell below legal limits for the first time—almost 200 years before experts said they would have without action.
By investing record amounts in policing and providing more than a million positive opportunities to prevent young Londoners from being caught up in crime, Sadiq’s time as mayor has seen London’s per capita homicide rate fall to the lowest level in recorded history.
Sadiq continues to provide universal free school meals in London’s state primary schools, too, sparing the capital’s kids the gnawing ache of hunger in the classroom.
Today, Sadiq is more motivated than ever by his mission: building a better London for everyone. From building more affordable homes to cleaning up the capital’s waterways and championing the industries that will provide jobs for generations to come, he’s working day in, day out for the future of the city he loves.
Bringing communities together
Sadiq believes that the best way to beat division, fear, and hatred is with unity, hope and mutual respect. That’s why, as populists desperately seek to drive a wedge between the capital’s communities, he is bringing them together.
Sadiq’s London is a city that holds its diversity high as a strength, rather than hiding it away as a weakness—a place that does not merely tolerate difference, but celebrates it. Whether the capital’s critics are in Westminster or the White House, he will never stop standing up for the open, inclusive city he loves—a city that, in his entirely unbiased opinion, is the greatest in the world.
