Sadiq Khan Mayor of London victory 'could pave way for ethnic minority Prime Minister'

Applause: Sadiq Khan is congratulated by his opponents, including Zac Goldsmith, left
Carl Court/Getty Images
Mark Chandler7 May 2016
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Sadiq Khan's victory in the London mayoral election could pave the way for an ethnic minority candidate to become Prime Minister, an MP has predicted.

Tottenham's David Lammy made the claim on BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning, after Mr Khan romped to victory in the capital's poll.

Mr Khan took 1,310,143 votes after second preferences were taken into account, beating Conservative Zac Goldsmith into second place on 994,614. His tally gave him the largest personal mandate of any politician in UK history.

And Mr Lammy said: "If we ever get a prime minister of colour it will be because of what Sadiq Khan has achieved."

Mr Khan was described by his fellow MP as "a grafter".

He said: "He is someone who gets on with people, he is someone who is pragmatic when he needs to be and he certainly has a vision for this city."

Other people have been responding to news of the new mayor this morning, including Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe.

He said: "I would like to offer my warmest congratulations to Sadiq Khan as the new mayor of our great capital.

"I look forward to working with him and all London's new and re-elected Assembly members, to continue transforming the Met to keep London one of the safest capitals in the world."

And Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tweeted last night: "Congratulations @SadiqKhan.

"Can't wait to work with you to create a London that is fair for all! #YesWeKhan"

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