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Mayor
The Resume
(October 8, 1970- )
Born in London, United Kingdom
Former human rights attorney
Wrote ‘Fairness Not Favors: How to Re-Connect with British Muslims’ (2009)
Member of the Labour Party
Member of Parliament for Tooting (2005-16)
Minister of State for Transport (2009-10)
Mayor of London (assumed office May 9, 2016)
First ethnic minority mayor of London
First Muslim elected mayor of a major Western capital
Why he might be annoying
He originally planned to become a dentist, but a teacher suggested he study law instead because of his argumentative personality.
He admits that some of the people he represented – such as Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and Ahmad Barber, who pled guilty to ‘providing material support to terrorism’ – were ‘unsavory individuals.’
He had to reimburse the government for £2,550 after using official stationery and pre-paid envelopes – intended for official Parliamentary business – to send holiday greetings and birthday cards to constituents.
While campaigning against a proposed US-UK extradition treaty, he attended four meetings of Stop Political Terror, a group supported by al-Qaeda recruiter Anwar Al-Awlaki.
His changes of position – such as supporting the expansion of Heathrow Airport as an MP, then opposing it as candidate for Mayor – led George Galloway to dub him ‘a flip-flop merchant’ and Zac Goldsmith, the Conservative candidate for Mayor of London, to call him ‘the sort of politician who justified peoples’ mistrust in politics.’
Why he might not be annoying
For two years (2009-10) he gave up his salary increase, saying ‘At a time when many people in Tooting and throughout the country are having to accept pay freezes, I don’t think it’s appropriate for MPs to accept a pay rise.’
His first act as mayor was appearing at a Holocaust memorial ceremony.
He said he wanted to ‘break down the mystique and suspicion’ surrounding Islam and ‘build bridges between communities.’
He commented, ‘Too often, the people who are ‘representing’ the Islamic faith aren’t representative, they’re angry men with beards. And that is not what Islam is about.’
After the London Bridge terrorist attack (June 3, 2017), his comment to Londoners that ‘there was no reason to be alarmed’ by the increased police presence on the streets was yanked out of context for mockery by Donald Trump. (Trump’s tweet: ‘At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is ‘no reason to be alarmed!’’)
Credit: C. Fishel
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Year In Review:
For 2021, as of last week, Out of 176 Votes: 3.41% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 174 Votes: 45.98% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 124 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 64 Votes: 54.69% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 150 Votes: 62.00% Annoying
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