Sadiq Khan attends Holocaust memorial in Barnet in first event as Mayor of London

Jamie Bullen8 May 2016

Sadiq Khan has visited a Holocaust Remembrance ceremony in north London today in his first official engagement as the new Mayor of London.

The Labour mayor attended the Yom HaShoah event at Barnet Copthall Stadium this afternoon alongside Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis.

Thousands attended from London's Jewish community, including more than 150 Holocaust survivors and a combined choir from five Jewish elementary schools.

Mr Khan was greeted alongside Lord Levy, one of Labour's most senior Jewish supporters and the party's former lead fundraiser.

First engagement: Sadiq Khan poses for a photograph with Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis during a Jewish community Holocaust commemoration event
EPA/HANNAH MCKAY

The visit comes as the Labour party faces accusations it has a problem with anti-Semitism, which led leader Jeremy Corbyn to order an inquiry.

Mr Khan has been at the forefront of criticism of former London mayor Ken Livingstone, calling for the party to take action against him for controversial comments made in an interview.

Earlier the mayor tweeted: "At Yom HaShoah commemorations today. So important to reflect, remember and educate about the 6 million Jewish lives lost in the Holocaust."

Afterwards, he said: "I was really privileged and moved to meet survivors of the unimaginable horrors of the Holocaust as well as their children, their great-grandchildren and even their great-grandchildren."

Speaking to the Observer, Mr Khan said he wanted to be a leader for all faiths in the capital.

He said: “I learnt a great deal throughout the course of the campaign – about myself, about London and about the importance of reaching out to all sections of society. But there are two lessons in particular.

“First, Labour only wins when we face outwards and focus on the issues that the people actually care about. And secondly, we will never be trusted to govern unless we reach out and engage with all voters – regardless of their background, where they live or where they work.

“Squabbles over internal party structures might be important for some in the party, but it is clear they mean little or nothing to the huge majority of voters.

“As tempting as it might be, we must always resist focusing in on ourselves and ignoring what people really want.”

Today marked Mr Khan’s first official engagement since he was elected to City Hall on Friday in an historic victory as he became London’s first Muslim mayor.

Yesterday, he was sworn into office at Southwark Cathedral as he began the job to rapturous applause and an impromptu standing ovation at the multi-faith ceremony.

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