Sadiq Khan has attacked Zac Goldsmith for "pointing at me & shouting ‘he’s a Muslim’" in a strident condemnation of his opponent's campaign.
The London mayoral candidate today confronted Goldsmith, saying there was "no need" to highlight his religious identity because his it featured prominently on campaign leaflets.
After Goldsmith described Khan as "radical and divisive" - something the Tooting MP claimed was "dog-whistle" politics and used only because he was a Muslim - Khan penned a post defending his religious identity.
He wrote:
Khan has consistently been open about his religious beliefs and said that it was "absurd" to think a Muslim candidate could never win the London mayoralty.
A series of tweets he has posted since announcing he would run to succeed Boris Johnson in May 2015 include:
Khan also wrote for The Sun back in October for its "United against I.S." campaign, opening his colummn with "I’m proud to be British and a Muslim."
He added: "It’s important that all Muslims— men, women, young or old — do what they can to combat the threat from extremism here in the UK and abroad."
Responding to the Labour candidate's allegations today, a spokesman for Goldsmith's campaign told The Huffington Post UK: "Khan is plucking divisive nonsense out of thin air because he doesn’t want to talk about the £1.9 billion black hole in his spending plans and the damage it would do to London’s economy.
"Zac is totally focussed on talking to Londoners about his Action Plan for Greater London: more homes, properly funded transport, a cleaner environment and safer streets – all delivered while freezing Mayoral Council Tax and keeping London’s economy strong."