00:00I come from New York, where we're hearing an awful lot about London.
00:02It's being caricatured and stereotyped in the context of this mayoral race by the president,
00:06by one of the candidates for mayor as well.
00:09It's being portrayed as a place that's out of control, a lot of crime.
00:12There's a heavy amount of Islamophobia in there as well.
00:15What's your response to that, the way that London is being used as sort of something being held up in the New York mayoral campaign?
00:21Well, first, I've got some friends who are in New York, and I think New York is the second greatest city in the world.
00:27Look, there's a reason why there are some people who hate London and hate New York.
00:33There's a reason why they demonise London and now, indeed, New York. Why?
00:38Because we are progressive cities, we are liberal cities, we are multicultural cities, and we're incredibly successful.
00:48We are the antithesis of nativists, populists, commentators and politicians.
00:53And I think, listen, the fact that in New York you may elect somebody who's a Muslim is neither here nor there.
01:00It's what are his policies? What are his vision? What does he want to do for the people of New York?
01:06And I think, listen, it says more about the people criticising, you know, Zohra and Mandani's ethnicity and faith.
01:14It says more about them, you know, what they're all about than it says about him.
01:18You spoke with him after the Democratic primary, and I wonder if you could kind of characterise what that conversation was like.
01:22You say it's neither here nor there that he could be the first Muslim mayor of New York.
01:25And I'll go with your hierarchy, London and New York, these two major cities.
01:29Why don't you tell him about what that is like? You were the first Muslim mayor of London. What that means?
01:34Well, conversations I have with others are private conversations, but I'm quite clear.
01:37When you are from a city like London or New York, I think the greatest honour and the greatest privilege is to be the leader of that city.
01:46I've had many great jobs in my life that I've thoroughly enjoyed.
01:50There is no greater job than being the mayor of your city.
01:53I've seen from afar the campaign that Zohra and Mandani has run.
01:57He appears to be having fun. He appears to be connecting.
02:00He's doing something that I know a lot about, which is reaching parts of your city that are underserved, reaching people that hitherto, feel as if politics isn't for you.
02:10Understanding that actually, you know, sometimes cities aren't fair.
02:14Sometimes in a city you've got two separate tales taking place.
02:17And what's important is for you to be authentic.
02:20And whether you're in New York or London or other parts of the globe, it's to be true to yourself.
02:25And I'm looking forward to seeing the results in the next couple of days, actually, see what happens.
02:28With your mayorality and perhaps his, there is an element of being the mayor of London or New York that is a global responsibility.
02:33You're here in Brazil.
02:35How much of that is a surprise to you?
02:37And how much do you think about the role of London on the global stage?
02:39Well, the reality is when you are from a global city, when you are a leader of that global city, your audience, really importantly, are your constituents.
02:47But also it's the globe because the world's eyes are on London.
02:51The world's eyes, indeed, are on New York.
02:54That is a huge privilege, but it comes with a huge responsibility.
02:56So I've never campaigned to be a Muslim mayor.
02:59I don't use those sort of words.
03:01I'm a mayor who happens to be Muslim.
03:03But I recognise, and this is just a fact of life, there are some people who may not have been a Muslim.
03:09There are some people who only, you know, see things in movies or when they hear from presidents.
03:15And I want to address some of the fears people have sometimes because I am a Muslim.
03:20I recognise sometimes people prejudge what it means to be a Muslim.
03:24So not by choice, but almost by duty.
03:27I sometimes use my role to explain we aren't the boogeyman.
03:32We are just like you.
03:34We've got the same ambitions and aspirations as you.
03:37I never asked for that responsibility, but I recognise as the leader of a great city,
03:42as a proud Brit, a proud Englishman, a proud Londoner, but also a proud Muslim,
03:47I'm more than happy to talk about my faith and what it means.
03:50And I'm sure you'll see if Zohran Mamdani does win,
03:54Mamdani doing the same.
03:55Not because he necessarily wants to,
03:58but because he recognises that our religion has been demonised.
04:00I think we both would recognise that actually a small minority
04:04of people who claim to follow our religion have done some bad stuff
04:08that doesn't represent the more than 2 billion people on this planet who are Muslims.
04:13Last question kind of playing off of this.
04:14In New York, in this campaign, there's a lot of warning from a lot of wealthier New Yorkers
04:17saying that people will leave the city were he to win
04:20if the city were to get too progressive as they see it.
04:22We had Nigel Farage issuing the same warning in London today
04:25that there's a chance that people who are of means in London
04:27might elect to lead if we go farther to the left there.
04:30Your response to that warning or that proposed trend?
04:33Well, firstly, I've got no idea whether that is the case,
04:36whether that will happen.
04:37If that is the case, come to London.
04:39I'm going to roll out the red carpet and welcome you to London.
04:43I think the reality is that New York's a great city.
04:46I hope New York continues to flourish and thrive.
04:49Of course, like London, we have challenges.
04:51But the joy of being the mayor is you work with everyone across your city.
04:54I campaigned to be a mayor for all Londoners.
04:56Yes, I campaigned for those who live in deprived communities,
04:59those who desperately need social housing,
05:02those who are facing the consequences of cost of living crisis,
05:06but also recognising that I, as a politician, don't create the wealth.
05:10I don't create the jobs, but working with the private sector,
05:13working with all Londoners, you can do a great job.
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