Sadiq Khan has hit back at Donald Trump over his latest criticism of London.
The former president said the capital was “unrecognisable” after “Europe opened its doors to Jihad”.
His comments, at a campaign rally, have re-ignited his long-running feud with the London mayor, who is seeking re-election for another four-year term in today’s local elections.
Khan said: “Today is an opportunity to show Donald Trump and my Tory opponent that London will always choose hope over fear and unity over division.”
Trump said: “We’ve seen what happened when Europe opened its doors to jihad. Look at Paris, look at London, they’re no longer recognisable.”
His comments echo those he made ahead of a visit to the UK in 2018, in which he personally attacked London mayor Khan over the London Bridge terror attack the previous year.
The then president said: “I think allowing millions and millions of people to come into Europe is very, very sad. I look at cities in Europe, and I can be specific if you’d like. You have a mayor who has done a terrible job in London. He has done a terrible job.”
In response, Khan told HuffPost UK: “I’m happy to meet President Trump and to explain to him, in a respectful, courteous manner where I think he’s wrong on a number of issues, to hear him out, see what his explanation is for holding me responsible for the attacks we saw in London last year.”