Sadiq Khan to promote London in events with global leaders during New York visit
Sadiq Khan is on a four-day trip to New York during which he hopes to hit the headlines by expressing opposition to Donald Trump regaining the US presidency.
The London mayor, who was described by Mr Trump as a “stone cold loser” during a presidential visit to the UK in 2019, is expected to use a series of media interviews to endorse current vice-president Kamala Harris.
He will look to link a discussion about the summer riots in the UK and the need for economic migration with concern at the policies he expects Mr Trump to follow should he win a second term in November.
Mr Khan opted to make the trip rather than prolonging his stay at the Labour party conference in Liverpool.
He is making his third mayoral visit to New York. He was most recently there in May 2022 and also visited in September 2016 as part of a wider tour of the US and Canada four months after he was first elected.
City Hall said Mr Khan would be “banging the drum” for London and seeking to attack more US sporting events, tourists and investment to the capital.
He wants London to stage the American wrestling event WrestleMania and for NBA basketball games to return.
He also has a “longer-term ambition” to bring the Superbowl to London for the first event outside of the US.
He will also speak at an environmental conference as part of his role as the joint chair of the C40 group of world cities committed to pursuing a “green” agenda.
He is accompanied by several senior aides. City Hall is also thought to have sent the mayor’s in-house photographer and cameraman to capture images of Mr Khan’s trip.
All the main City Hall correspondents were invited to cover the trip in person but none are thought to have travelled to New York for cost reasons.
Mr Khan will speak at several events: the Concordia Annual Summit, the Climate Pledge Summit and the NYC Climate Week Hub.
He will deliver the keynote address at a Clinton Global Initiative session on “Leveraging Technology and Nature for Equitable Urban Resilience”.
Mr Khan is expected to describe the Londonwide Ulez (ultra-low emission zone) as being “even more successful than expected”, in terms of accelerating the switch to Ulez-compliant vehicles by motorists.
He will also promote his plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street, which won Government support last week. He hopes this will boost its tourist credentials.
He is due to visit an ecological project in the Hudson river and pick up ideas for his aim of making the Thames swimmable in a decade.
Mr Khan said: “With so many key business leaders and politicians in New York this week, this really is the perfect time to promote London on the global stage – whether as an exciting tourist destination or the host of the world’s best sporting events.
“It is also an important week for global leaders to restate their commitment to tackle climate change, to learn from other cities and nations and showcase how London remains at the forefront of global action.”
C40 executive director Mark Watts said Mr Khan’s “unwavering dedication to creating healthier and greener cities sets a powerful example for city and national leaders around the globe”.