SADIQ KHAN has vowed to tackle racial inequality disadvantaging Black people ahead of his re-election campaign for Mayor of London.

The mayor outlined plans to increase new-found security for Londoners after a pandemic that has ravaged the capital and confronting over-policing of Black communities in his new manifesto.

Drug laws

Establishing a new drugs commission is one part of his campaign.

Last year, 41,900 people across England and Wales were charged with drugs-related offences.  

However, a report by the London School of Economics (LSE) and Release, experts on drug law, showed that drug policing is one of the main reasons for stop and search, which black and Asian people remain disproportionately targeted by.

In England and Wales between 2016-17, black Britons were stopped and searched for any reason at 8.4 times the rate of whites – a figure that has more than doubled since 1998-99.

Black and Asian people were also found to be convicted of cannabis possession at 11.8 and 2.4 times the rate of white people, despite the lower rates of self-reported cannabis use.

Speaking exclusively to The Voice, Mr Khan said: “I’m quite concerned about the impact of drugs on people’s health, but also the impact it has on criminalising young Londoners, particularly around the issue of cannabis.

“I want to involve a number of people – those who work in the criminal justice system, those who work in public health, those who work in politics, community relations, academia – to do piece of work looking at what happens in other parts of the world where they’ve decriminalised cannabis to see what lessons we can learn in London, but also in government.

“It’s really important to have an open mind about these issues, I think too many of those who have committed no other criminal act, have got criminal records because they’ve had a small amount of cannabis in their possession.

“Through this commission, we want to be looking at the arguments for and against, and recommendations going forward.”

Policing

The lack of “trust and confidence” between black people and the police is an issue that Mr Khan accepts and believes is integral to his re-election campaign for London mayor.

Following the killing of George Floyd last year, Mr Khan supported the Black Lives Matter movement.

Outlining his Police Action Plan, he stresses that it’s about listening to the concerns raised by black communities and experts. The recruitment of more black people in the police force and tackling stop and search are his priorities.

“We’ve got two senior formers, former black Asian minority officers, leading the work around monitoring of police powers, looking into the use of force, looking the use of Taser, looking to use of handcuffs,” he said.

“That lack of trust and confidence isn’t just in the police service – it’s in the health service, in probation, the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) it’s in court, it’s in education.

“One of the reasons why we saw fewer black Londoners taking up the vaccine is because historically they don’t trust government and those in positions of power and influence. This includes drug companies, by the way.

“The way to improve this, is to rebuild trust and confidence, and not to have our head in the sand.”

Jobs, jobs, jobs

In early March, he announced that creating jobs would be his “top priority” to help boost the city’s economy and get over 300,000 Londoners who have lost their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic back in work.

He proposed to maximise City Hall’s expenditure and introduce a “1945-style programme.”

“In 1945, a Labour government rebuilt Britain from the ashes of war. Like so many, I benefited from their work decades later as I grew up on a council estate and was given the opportunities to fulfil my potential and become mayor of the greatest city on earth. That’s why jobs, jobs, jobs are a top priority for my second term,” he said.

According to TUC (Trades Union Congress), black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) workers have suffered the brunt of job loss through pandemic with those in employment having dropped by 26 times more than the drop in white workers over the same period.

Research from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also looked into the wellbeing of different ethnic groups and revealed that a staggering 27% of people from black backgrounds reported finding it difficult to make financial ends meet, compared with fewer than 10% among most white groups.

Speaking on these stark inequalities, Mr Khan acknowledged that the pandemic has only “exposed and exacerbated the structural inequalities and racial inequality that exist in our society.”

“A large number of those who have been furloughed and lost their jobs are young and black, as well as Asian and minority ethnic. We have a plan for jobs in the second term, but we’ve also got to invest in jobs through support from utilities companies in the private sector,” he said.

“These include jobs in future projects like green jobs, creative industries, digital health and social care to particularly target black male Londoners who are prone to unemployment for factors outside of their control.”

London mayoral elections are expected to take place on May 6.

Watch the full exclusive interview with Sadiq Khan: