US President uses UN speech to lash out at London mayor

Donald Trump has made a fresh attack on Sir Sadiq Khan in his speech to the UN and claimed London wants to “go to sharia law”.

In his speech to the UN General Assembly the US President said: “I look at London, where you have a terrible mayor, terrible terrible mayor, and it’s been so changed, so changed.

In an extraordinary and unsubstantiated statement he then said: “Now they want to go to sharia law, but you’re in a different country.

“Both their immigration and suicidal energy ideas will be the death of western Europe if something is not done immediately. This cannot be sustained.”

Sharia is Islam’s legal system. A spokesperson for Sadiq, London’s first Muslim mayor, said: “We are not going to dignify his appalling and bigoted comments with a response.

“London is the greatest city in the world, safer than major US cities, and we’re delighted to welcome the record number of US citizens moving here.”

Health Secretary Wes Streeting also hit back at Trump’s comments saying in a post on X within minutes: “@SadiqKhan is not trying to impose sharia law on London.

“This is a mayor who marches with Pride, who stands up for difference of background and opinion, who’s focused on improving our transport, our air, our streets, our safety, our choices and chances. Proud he’s our mayor.”

The US President’s attack on Sir Sadiq in his first speech to the UN since 2020 came as he criticised Europe for its policy on immigration.

“You’re destroying your countries. They’re being destroyed. Europe is in serious trouble,” he said. “They’ve been invaded by a force of illegal aliens like nobody’s ever seen before, illegal aliens are pouring into Europe.”

He said it’s time to end the "failed experiment of open borders" and accused the UN of facilitating the "invasion" of Western countries.

The attack on the London mayor in his speech on Tuesday is the latest stage in their long-running feud that stretches back to Trump’s first term.

Sir Sadiq had criticised the US President ahead of his state visit to Britain last week in which he claimed “President Donald Trump and his coterie have perhaps done the most to fan the flames of divisive, far-right politics around the world in recent years.”

The US President had then hit back in comments made on Air Force One at the end of the trip claiming he had blocked Sir Sadiq from being invited to the state banquet held for him by the King.

Trump gave a wide-ranging address at the UN, when he condemned moves by countries including the UK to recognise a Palestinian state, saying such steps would reward "horrible atrocities" by the militant group Hamas. France, Britain, Canada, Australia and Portugal have all recognised a Palestinian state in the past two days.

He dismissed climate change as “the greatest con job” in the world, doubling down on his skepticism of global environmental initiatives.

He also criticised criticised Europe for its failure to "cut off" Russian energy products as "embarrassing" and called his tariffs that have disrupted the world economy “a defence mechanism”.

The US President also criticised the UN again claiming it was “not even trying” to help end conflicts around the world.