Sadiq Khan, a Muslim opposition lawmaker, is on course to be elected London’s mayor on Thursday, loosening the ruling Conservatives’ hold on Britain’s financial centre after a campaign marred by charges of anti-Semitism and extremism.
The fight to run the British capital has pitted the Labour Party’s Khan, 45, the son of a bus driver who grew up in public housing, against Conservative Zac Goldsmith, 41, the elite-educated son of a billionaire financier.
But rather than their social backgrounds, it has been accusations of smears over Khan’s Muslim faith and anti-Semitism in the Labour Party that have dominated the campaign to replace Conservative Boris Johnson as mayor of the city of 8.6 million people which is usually known for its tolerance.
Mayors of London, which is home to the City financial district, are responsible for areas such as policing, transport, housing and the environment.
London is the top prize in local elections being held across Scotland, Wales and northern England, and there was little let-up in the accusations against Khan, who has a big lead in opinion polls, as campaigning ran into its final hours.
During a heated parliamentary debate on Wednesday, British Prime Minister David Cameron accused Khan of sharing “a platform with an extremist who called for Jews to drown in the ocean”.