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London mayor to visit US ‘in case Trump wins’

Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was keen to meet his US counterparts. Photo: AAP

Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was keen to meet his US counterparts. Photo: AAP

London’s first Muslim mayor, Sadiq Khan, says if Donald Trump becomes president of the United States he will be barred from entering the country on account of his faith.

The UK Labour Party candidate secured victory over Conservative challenger Zac Goldsmith on Saturday, and is already looking ahead to his future responsibilities abroad.

In an interview with Time Magazine published on Tuesday he said he was keen to meet with his United States counterparts, but would have to do so sooner rather than later, just in case Mr Trump was elected president.

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“Clearly [I’ll visit] before January in case Donald Trump wins,” he said.

“If Donald Trump becomes the president I’ll be stopped from going there by virtue of my faith, which means I can’t engage with American mayors and swap ideas.”

Mr Trump responded by suggesting he would make an exception for London’s newly elected Muslim mayor, the New York Times reported.

mayor sadiq khan

Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was keen to meet his US counterparts. Photo: AAP

“There will always be exceptions,” the Times quoted the real estate billionaire and presumptive Republican nominee as saying.

He said he was happy to see Mr Khan elected, the Times reported, adding: “You lead by example, always lead by example. If he does a good job … that would be a terrific thing.”

Following the Paris attacks last year, Mr Trump called for a “total and complete shutdown” on all Muslims entering the United States — a move that attracted some criticism from voters, White House staff and fellow Republicans.

Mr Khan said the rhetoric was not dissimilar to that employed by his opponent during the London election, which some voters described as “disgusting and slimy”.

He told Britain’s Observer newspaper: “They used fear and innuendo to try to turn different ethnic and religious groups against each other — something straight out of the Donald Trump playbook”.

Mr Khan’s faith was a point of focus throughout the election and he was repeatedly accused by Mr Goldsmith of sharing platforms with radical Muslim speakers and giving oxygen to extremists.

“I think to try and look for differences, to try and turn communities against each other is not conducive to living successfully and amicably,” Mr Khan told Time.

“Conservative tacticians thought those sort of tactics would win London and they were wrong.

“I’m confident that Donald Trump’s approach to politics won’t win in America.”

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