Sadiq Khan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Sadiq Khan
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Khan in 2020
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| Mayor of London | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 9 May 2016 |
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| Deputy | Joanne McCartney | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Boris Johnson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of Parliament for Tooting |
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| In office 5 May 2005 – 9 May 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Tom Cox | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Rosena Allin-Khan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
Sadiq Aman Khan
8 October 1970 Tooting, London, England |
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| Political party | Labour | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse |
Saadiya Ahmed
(m. 1994) |
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| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of North London University of Law |
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| Awards | Sitara-e-Imtiaz (2018) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  |
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Sir Sadiq Aman Khan (born 8 October 1970) is a British politician who has been the Mayor of London since 2016. Before becoming mayor, he was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Tooting from 2005 to 2016. He is a member of the Labour Party.
Khan was born in Tooting, South London, to a British Pakistani family. He studied to become a lawyer at the University of North London. He worked as a solicitor who focused on human rights cases. He also chaired the advocacy group Liberty for three years.
In 2005, Khan was elected as the MP for Tooting. He held several important roles in the government and in the Shadow Cabinet. The Shadow Cabinet is a group of politicians from the main opposition party who "shadow" the government's ministers.
Khan was elected Mayor of London in 2016 and resigned as an MP. As mayor, he has focused on making London's transport more affordable and reducing air pollution. He introduced the "Hopper fare" for buses and trams and created the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to charge more polluting vehicles. He was re-elected as mayor in 2021 and 2024, making him the first London mayor to win a third term.
In 2018, he was included in Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world. He was knighted in the 2025 New Year Honours for his service to politics.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Sadiq Aman Khan was born on 8 October 1970 at St George's Hospital in Tooting, South London. His parents, Amanullah and Sehrun, moved to London from Pakistan in 1968. His father worked as a bus driver, and his mother was a seamstress. Khan was the fifth of eight children.
Khan grew up in a three-bedroom council flat in Earlsfield. He went to Fircroft Primary School and then Ernest Bevin School. At first, he wanted to be a dentist and studied science and maths. But a teacher suggested he study law because he was good at arguing. This, along with the TV show L.A. Law, inspired him to become a lawyer.
He studied law at the University of North London. From a young age, Khan worked various jobs, including a paper round and working at a department store. He and his brothers also enjoyed sports like football, cricket, and boxing.
Legal Career
Before becoming a politician, Khan worked as a solicitor, which is a type of lawyer. He finished his law studies in 1991 and started working at a law firm in 1994. The firm mostly handled cases for people who couldn't afford a lawyer.
Khan became a partner in the firm in 1997. He specialised in human rights law. He worked on cases involving discrimination, police actions, and human rights. For example, he represented a group of actors who were wrongly arrested by the police, helping them get money for the trouble it caused. He left the law firm in 2004 to focus on his political career.
Career in Parliament
First Term: 2005–2010
Before joining Parliament, Khan was a councillor for Wandsworth Council from 1994 to 2006. In 2005, he was elected as the Member of Parliament for his home area of Tooting.
As a new MP, he was known for opposing some of Prime Minister Tony Blair's policies. For his clear and strong arguments, The Spectator magazine gave him the "Newcomer of the Year Award" in 2005.
When Gordon Brown became Prime Minister in 2007, Khan was given more responsibilities. He became a government whip, helping to make sure Labour's new laws were passed. In 2008, he was made a minister in the Department for Communities and Local Government. A year later, in 2009, he was promoted to Minister of State for Transport. This made him the first Muslim to attend meetings of the British Cabinet.
Second and Third Term: 2010–2016
In the 2010 United Kingdom general election, Khan was re-elected as the MP for Tooting. After the election, he helped Ed Miliband become the new leader of the Labour Party. Miliband then appointed Khan to important roles in his Shadow Cabinet, including Shadow Secretary of State for Justice.
In 2013, Khan was also made the Shadow Minister for London. He was in charge of Labour's campaign for the 2014 London local elections, where the party did very well.
After the 2015 United Kingdom general election, Khan was re-elected as MP for Tooting for a third time. He decided to run for Mayor of London. On 9 May 2016, he resigned as an MP after winning the mayoral election.
Mayor of London
Sadiq Khan was elected Mayor of London in 2016. He is the third person to hold this office. He is also London's first mayor from an ethnic minority background. He was sworn in at a ceremony in Southwark Cathedral.
2016 Mayoral Campaign
After the 2015 general election, Khan announced he wanted to be Labour's candidate for Mayor of London. He won the party's nomination in September 2015.
During his campaign, Khan promised to freeze some public transport fares for four years. He also wanted to build more affordable homes for Londoners. He said he would be "the most pro-business mayor ever."
His main opponent was the Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith. The campaign was sometimes difficult, but Khan won the election with 57% of the vote. He received 1.3 million votes, the largest number any single politician in the UK had ever received.
Re-elections in 2021 and 2024
Khan decided to run for a second term as mayor instead of trying to become the leader of the Labour Party. In the 2021 London mayoral election, he was re-elected, defeating the Conservative candidate Shaun Bailey.
He ran for a third term in the 2024 London mayoral election and won again, this time against Conservative candidate Susan Hall. This made him the first Mayor of London to be elected for three terms.
Key Policies as Mayor
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As mayor, Khan has worked on many different issues affecting London.
Transport
One of Khan's first actions was to introduce the "Hopper fare." This allows passengers to take two bus or tram trips within an hour for the price of one. He also launched the Night Tube, a 24-hour service on some Tube lines on Fridays and Saturdays.
To get funding from the government during the COVID-19 pandemic, Khan had to agree to raise some transport fares. He also increased the London congestion charge, a fee for driving in central London, to £15 a day.
Air Pollution
Khan has called air pollution a major health emergency. In 2019, he introduced the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). This charges drivers of older, more polluting vehicles to enter central London. The zone was expanded to cover all of Greater London in 2023. This has helped reduce the number of polluting vehicles in the city.
Housing
Khan has focused on building more affordable homes for Londoners. He created an agency called Homes for Londoners to help with this. He has also worked to tackle homelessness in the city.
Diversity and Community
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Khan has worked to bring London's different communities together. He has hosted events to celebrate religious festivals like Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr. He has also been a strong supporter of the LGBT community and has marched in the Pride London parade.
In 2020, he set up the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm. This group reviews London's statues and street names to make sure they reflect the city's diverse history. This led to the removal of a statue of Robert Milligan, a merchant involved in the slave trade.
Personal Life
Khan is a practising Muslim. He is married to Saadiya Ahmed, who is also a solicitor. They have two daughters. He is a fan of Liverpool F.C.
See also
In Spanish: Sadiq Khan para niños
- 2016 London mayoral election
- 2021 London mayoral election
- 2024 London mayoral election
- List of British Pakistanis
Images for kids
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Khan meeting with British troops in Kabul, Afghanistan in 2008
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Sadiq Khan speaking in 2011
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Khan at an Eid event in Trafalgar Square, 2019
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Khan speaks at an Eid event at 10 Downing Street in April 2025
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Khan with former U.S. President Bill Clinton in 2016
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Harrow-on-the-Hill station was quiet during the pandemic in August 2020.
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