Don’t listen to the naysayers: Sadiq Khan is the mayor for a modern London | City A.M.
Two years ago, Londoners chose hope over fear and unity over division by electing Sadiq Khan as our mayor of London – rejecting a Conservative campaign that was the nastiest and most divisive in living memory.
It was a remarkable statement of our values as a city and of our commitment to unity, tolerance, respect and fairness.
It made me and millions of others hugely proud to call ourselves Londoners, and sent the clearest possible message around the world about who we are and what we believe in.
On the day he was elected, Sadiq made a solemn promise to our city: to always do everything within his power to give all Londoners the opportunities to fulfill their potential – the opportunities that our city gave to him and his family.
And over the last two years, Sadiq has made huge progress and huge strides to fulfill this promise.
More genuinely affordable homes across the capital – and social homes – have been started by City Hall last year than ever before – turning the tide on the housing crisis after years of failure.
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Transport for London fares have been frozen for four years and the unlimited bus Hopper fare has already made commuting more affordable for millions.
The Night Tube and Overground are finally up and running after years of delays.
And the most ambitious plans to tackle air quality of any major city in the world has already made a real difference to Londoners’ health – particularly for the poorest children who have suffered the most from toxic air around their schools and homes.
The London Borough of Culture, which Sadiq announced this year, is increasing access to arts and culture for the Londoners who don’t get to take part in everything our city has to offer.
Read more: Sadiq Khan sets up new scheme to deliver 10,000 council homes by 2022
The number of days lost to strikes on the Tube network has been reduced by 65 per cent compared with Boris Johnson’s time as mayor.
And City Hall is giving more funding to the police and youth services – in the face of huge government cuts – than ever before.
Sadiq Khan has already made a bigger difference to Londoners’ daily lives in the first two years of his mayoralty than his predecessor managed in eight.
But he is also the first to admit that there is always more to do.
Turning around the problems facing our city is a marathon not a sprint.
The last two years have not been easy for London. We have suffered four terrorist attacks on innocent Londoners, we have had the terrible Sandilands tram crash and the horrific Grenfell Tower fire. And there are big challenges on the horizon.
The world has become increasingly polarised with President Donald Trump in power in the US and the rise of the far right across Europe. Austerity is putting unprecedented strain and pressure on our public services.
Read more: Sadiq Khan launches initiative to get more women into leadership roles
Crime is rising across Britain after eight years of cuts to the police and preventative services.
And Brexit continues to pose a huge risk to our jobs, prosperity and place in the world.
Londoners are also having to contend with the most anti-London government in memory.
The Tories just don’t understand our city or our values and only offer more of the same austerity and cuts.
Unlike Sadiq, they are devoid of new ideas or a positive vision for London.
Sadiq is standing up for London’s values in the face of this increasingly polarised world, he is making progress in the hard slog of increasing opportunities across our city, and he is working to build a fairer London that works for all Londoners.
Working together with politicians and councils across our city, we are determined to build on the progress a Labour administration has made over the last two years.