Labour London mayor candidate Sadiq Khan distances himself from ‘unsavoury characters’

He had been denied entry for expressing racist and antisemitic views. The Board of Deputies had warned that Farrakhan – who called Hitler a “great man” – would harm race relations.

Speaking to the JC during a visit to the Community Security Trust on Wednesday, Mr Khan said: “Let me be clear. These aren’t my chums. Some of the meetings that are referred to are meetings that lasted hours and hours. I would turn up, do my spiel and then leave.”

Mr Khan said he should be judged on his record. “People who know me know that throughout my political life I have been outspoken, often at risk to personal safety and my family’s safety, on issues that matter to me, which are: tackling extremism, tackling radicalisation.”

He added: “I have never hidden the fact that I used to be a human rights lawyer. I have acted for people who are alleged of committing acts of terror. I think it is unfair to assume the cases I did as a lawyer – particularly in relation to characters who are unsavoury – are representative of the views I’ve got.

“I have never hidden the fact that I was chair of Liberty. I have never hidden the fact that I campaigned for Babar Ahmed against the US-UK extradition treaty.”

The CST briefing at the Jewish security charity in Hendon, north-west London, included discussions on safeguarding police funding to protect Jewish schools.

Mr Khan said: “We have to accept that there are some Londoners who do not subscribe to our way of life – who want to damage and divide communities. We have got to make sure we tackle that.”