Sadiq Khan: Invest in ‘stable, liberal’ London, not Donald Trump’s ‘uncertain’ US

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Sir Sadiq Khan has said businesses should invest in London rather than the US of Donald Trump because of the capital’s “diversity” and “liberal values”.

The London mayor said the city was a “beacon of stability” compared to the “uncertainty” of the economic landscape under the US president.

Speaking to the Financial Times on Thursday, Sir Sadiq said: “We’re appealing to international investors who recognise that London is a beacon of stability compared with the choppy political waters of the US.”

He cited the Government’s recent trade deals with the US, India and the EU which he said represented a “huge opportunity” for the capital.

Sir Sadiq added: “We have a world-leading ecosystem, from our universities to our culture and creative industries to our tech companies and financial services. This includes our liberal values, and celebrating diversity in London as a strength, and not as a threat.”

The Labour mayor and Mr Trump have had a fraught relationship since the US president’s first term in office when he called Sir Sadiq a “stone cold loser”.

Sir Sadiq’s comments will be seen as a veiled criticism of Mr Trump’s social policies and approach to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

They come after the Trump administration won the right to keep its sweeping global tariffs in place after a US court had ruled that the president overstepped his authority by imposing them.

The US president says he has recommended a 50 per cent tariff on all EU imports, which would come into effect next week.

Sir Keir Starmer negotiated a deal with the US to ensure that the UK avoided the worst of Mr Trump’s steel and automobile tariffs, as well as signing off trade agreements with India and the EU.

The Labour Government has strained to avoid criticism of Mr Trump’s foreign policy, seen in recent months as part of efforts to secure the trade deal.

When Mr Trump was re-elected, Sir Sadiq wrote on X that London would always be “pro-women, pro-diversity, pro-climate and pro-human rights”. He also said in November that he had been the target for Mr Trump’s criticism because the president was “racist”.

He told the High Performance podcast: “It’s personal, let’s be frank. If I wasn’t this colour skin, if I wasn’t a practising Muslim, he wouldn’t have come for me.”

Except the British government has been anything but stable recently, endless tax and rule changes.

The whole “diversity is our strength” spiel is losing its impact.

People aren’t buying it as much anymore.

London mayor advocates for economic investment in London.

Nice to see there’s already a dozen comments finding a way to whine about this and use it as a segue to whinge about broader culture war rubbish. Any headline with ‘Sadiq Khan’ really does bring out the top minds.

Just ignore the Brexit sized obstacles to trading with Europe and yeah…

I mean if you could make more money by investing your money into London than US then sure, people would invest. But you can’t.