Exclusive: London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Religious Extremism, Brexit, and Donald Trump

Sadiq Khan, 45, was declared the new mayor of London in the early hours of Saturday, becoming the most powerful Muslim politician in Europe. A transport minister in the Labour government of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Khan came under severe attack during the campaign from his Conservative opponent, Zac Goldsmith, for sharing platforms with extremists during his earlier career as a human rights lawyer.

Fresh from his victory, Khan sat down with TIME on Sunday in his new office in City Hall, a bulbous glass building overlooking Tower Bridge. In these excerpts from the conversation, Khan claims he is the “antidote” to extremism, reveals that the prospect of a Donald Trump presidency might force him to meet U.S. mayors before the end of the year, and explains why he’s campaigning to keep the U.K. in the European Union ahead of June’s In/Out referendum.

TIME: You’re the first Muslim mayor of a major western city. Do you feel an extra responsibility to tackle religious extremism?
Khan: One of the things that’s important to me as a Londoner is making sure my family, people I care about, are safe. But clearly, being someone who is a Muslim brings with it experiences that I can use in relation to dealing with extremists and those who want to blow us up. And so it’s really important that I use my experiences to defeat radicalization and extremism. What I think the election showed was that actually there is no clash of civilization between Islam and the West. I am the West, I am a Londoner, I’m British, I’m of Islamic faith, Asian origin, Pakistan heritage, so whether it’s [ISIS] or these others who want to destroy our way of life and talk about the West, they’re talking about me. What better antidote to the hatred they spew than someone like me being in this position?

How do you win around impressionable young Muslims who could be lured into extremism?
You say to youngsters you can be British, Muslim and successful. You point to successful British role models. The biggest export we’ve got is [former One Direction singer] Zayn Malik. The most successful British sports person ever is Mohamed Farah, a double Olympic champion and a world record holder. Who won the Great British Bake Off? Nadiya Hussain. We can point to, when we speak to young Brits of Islamic faith, successful role models. You can go in to business, you can go in to medicine, you can go to politics, dare I say it. So, when somebody comes along and tries to brainwash them with a sort of nihilistic view of life and say the way to get success in this world and the hereafter is to get a Kalashnikov and go to commit – in inverted commas – jihad is to say ‘you know what? That’s not true.’

The Conservatives linked you to extremists in what has been viewed as one of the most vicious campaigns ever waged in the U.K. How did that feel?
My experience in relation to taking on the preachers of hate was saying to them it’s compatible being British, being Western, being Muslim. I’ve experienced the receiving end of this extremism, whether it’s the extremists campaigning against me when I stood for parliament in 2005 and 2010 and 2015 saying somehow it was Haraam – sinful – to vote, let alone to stand for Parliament. I’ve been on the receiving end of a fatwa when fighting for equality in relation to same sex marriage [in 2013], so I understand what that’s like.

Do you think London’s reputation has been damaged by such a divisive campaign?
London chose to come out in record numbers, the highest turnout there’s ever been in a mayoral election, and – I say this not with arrogance it is what others have said, – the single biggest mandate a British politician has ever received. That shows what a wonderful city we are. We’re not simply tolerating each other – you tolerate a toothache, I don’t want to be tolerated. We respect, we embrace, and we celebrate, which is fantastic.

You accused the Conservatives of using a “Donald Trump playbook.” What’s your view on a potential Trump presidency given his remarks on Muslims?
Clearly [I’ll visit] before January in case Donald Trump wins… Hope, I think, is a good way of persuading people to vote for you, energize and enthuse people. I think to try and look for differences, to try and turn communities against each other is not conducive to living successfully and amicably.

I think Bill de Blasio is doing interesting housing stuff in New York, Rahm Emanuel is doing interesting stuff with the infrastructure bank in Chicago. I want to go to America to meet with and engage with American mayors. If Donald Trump becomes the president I’ll be stopped from going there by virtue of my faith, which means I can’t engage with American mayors and swap ideas. Conservative tacticians thought those sort of tactics would win London and they were wrong. I’m confident that Donald Trump’s approach to politics won’t win in America.

What would happen to London’s position as one of the world’s leading financial centres if the U.K. voted to leave the European Union?
I think leaving the European Union would be catastrophic for our city. The E.U’s GDP is bigger than China, is bigger than the U.S. We’ve got a market of 500 million people in the European Union. They’re not just a market, they’re our cousins. If you look at London, there are huge social benefits, huge cultural benefits, huge benefits to our security, but the economic benefits are massive. More than half a million jobs in London are directly dependent on the E.U. 60% of the world’s leading companies, including Sony, AIG insurance, China Telecom, have their EU headquarters here in London. Half of London’s exports go to the European Union. I’m going to be a Labour mayor campaigning with a Conservative prime minister for us to remain in the European Union. It’s crucial going forward.

Former NATO Leaders: UK Should Stay In EU

Five former secretaries general of NATO have published a letter supporting Britain's continued membership of the EU.

Lord Carrington, Javier Solana, Lord Robertson, Jaap De Hoop Scheffer and Anders Fogh Rasmussen have written to say: "Given the scale and range of challenges to peace and stability we collectively face, the Euro-Atlantic community needs an active and engaged United Kingdom.

"At a time of such global instability, and when NATO is trying to reinforce its role in Eastern Europe, it would be very troubling if the UK ended its membership of the European Union.

Clockwise from top L: Scheffer, Solana, Rasmussen, Robertson and Carrington

"While the decision is one for the British people, Brexit would undoubtedly lead to a loss of British influence, undermine NATO and give succour to the West's enemies just when we need to stand shoulder to shoulder across the Euro-Atlantic community against common threats, including on our doorstep."

The letter, which was distributed by Downing Street, comes a day after David Cameron gave a speech defending Britain’s membership of the EU asking: "Can we be so sure that peace and stability on our continent are assured beyond any shadow of doubt?

Is that a risk worth taking?

"I would never be so rash as to make that assumption."

But senior Conservative Dr Julian Lewis, the chairman of the Defence Select Committee, has accused the Prime Minister of entering "some sort of Alice Through The Looking Glass world".

"The real deterrent to an outside aggressor is very clear: it is the United States belonging to NATO.

"What the European Union is trying to do by building a common foreign and defence policy is trying to duplicate NATO without the involvement of the United States and that is highly dangerous."

Last month, in an interview with Sky News, the current NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: "A strong UK at the heart of Europe is good for NATO.

"It's good for our security and a fragmented Europe is bad for security."

The letter is the first time so many former secretaries general have written together.

Between them they led the alliance during the Cold War and following the 9/11 attacks.

Mendes And Gosling Welcome Second Daughter

Hollywood stars Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling have reportedly welcomed a second daughter after keeping the pregnancy private.

Mendes, 42, gave birth to Amada on 29 April in Santa Monica, near Los Angeles, according to TMZ.

The stars, who began dating in 2011, already have a daughter called Esmeralda, born in 2014.

For both pregnancies, Mendes chose to rarely, if ever, appear in public, or appeared artfully wrapped in scarves and shawls.

Gosling, 35, met Mendes on set while filming The Place Beyond The Pines, in which they played a couple with a baby.

The Canadian actor is known for his roles in Drive, and Crazy, Stupid, Love.

In 2014 his hugely-anticipated directorial debut Lost River, unveiled at the Cannes Film Festival, had some critics screaming in pain and others singing his praise.

Last year he played an arrogant banker in The Big Short, and his police comedy The Nice Guys, co-starring Russell Crowe, comes out this month.

Representatives for the stars have so far not confirmed the report.

Hanks Returns As Symbologist In Inferno Trailer

Tom Hanks returns as symbologist Robert Langdon in the new trailer for the film Inferno.

The Oscar winner reprises the role to unlock more mysterious codes in the film version of Dan Brown's thriller.

The film focuses on the Divine Comedy, the masterpiece by the Italian poet Dante and starts off in Italy where Langdon follows a trail of clues in a race to foil a deadly plot.

This time he is joined by doctor Sienna Brooks, played by British actress Felicity Jones, on the quest.

Ron Howard, who previously directed the film adaptations of The Da Vinci Code as well as Brown's Angels And Demons, returns to the director's seat for the film, which is scheduled for release in October.

Several Injured In Munich Station Attack

Several people have been injured in a stabbing at a railway station near Munich, German officials have confirmed.

A police spokeswoman said four commuters were wounded in the attack in Grafing.

According to a Bavarian radio station, a person who was critically injured in the stabbing has died in hospital.

The suspected attacker was overpowered and arrested, and the authorities working to identify him believe his motive may have been "political".

Witnesses have claimed the man shouted "allahu akbar" during the attack, which happened shortly before 5am (4am UK time) on Tuesday morning.

It is believed all of those injured in the stabbing were men.

Initial reports from a Bavarian radio station had suggested that four people were left with life-threatening injuries.

Donald Trump would make 'exception' for Sadiq Khan

Presidential hopeful Donald Trump has said the newly elected mayor of London would be an "exception" to his proposed ban on Muslims travelling to the US.

Because of his faith, Sadiq Khan had expressed concern that he would not be able to visit the US if Mr Trump were elected.

Mr Trump proposed a ban on Muslims entering the US after attacks in Paris killed 130 people last year.

"There will always be exceptions," the Republican businessman said.

The temporary ban has been widely criticised in the US and abroad but Mr Trump has stood by the proposal, saying it is needed to ensure US security.

Mr Trump said he was "happy" that Mr Khan would be leading London.

"If he does a good job and frankly if he does a great job, that would be a terrific thing," he added.

Mr Khan - the son of Pakistani immigrants - is London's first Muslim mayor, after beating Conservative rival Zac Goldsmith for the Labour Party by 1,310,143 votes to 994,614.

"I want to go to America to meet with and engage with American mayors," Mr Khan told Time magazine. "If Donald Trump becomes the president I'll be stopped from going there by virtue of my faith."

He added that he was "confident that Donald Trump's approach to politics" would not prevail in America.

Small Firms 'Underinvesting' In Cyber Security

Half of small manufacturers in the UK have failed to increase cyber security investment in the past two years, according to a survey.

Research by manufacturers' organisation EEF found that 56% of businesses have not increased their spending.

A fifth fail to make employees aware of cyber risks, while only 56% say cyber security is given serious attention by their board.

Just over a third, or 36% of manufacturers, have an incident response plan in place, and only 24% monitor cyber threats.

EEF Chief Economist Lee Hopley, is urging manufacturers to step up their planning to counter the increasing number of cyber threats.

"As technology and data start to play increasingly critical roles in manufacturing, companies will inevitably find themselves more vulnerable to cyber breaches," said Mr Hopley.

"Our survey highlights that investment in new technology isn't being matched by investment in managing risks, especially among smaller firms.

"It is important that manufacturers are able to identify, understand and put the correct strategies in place to keep their businesses safe and cyber secure."

The Government has also called for industries to act to protect themselves while announcing it will launch a National Cyber Security Centre this autumn and spend £1.9m over the next five years.

Its research revealed that 90% of large businesses and 74% of small businesses reported cyber security breaches last year. Average breaches cost up to to £3.14m for large firms and up to £311,000 for small businesses. 

A quarter of large firms come under attack at least once a month, according to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. 

The research shows the most common attacks detected involved viruses, spyware or malware and could have been prevented using the Government’s Cyber Essentials scheme.

A TalkTalk cyber attack last year cost the telecoms group up to £45m and triggered a sharp drop in customers.