Political correspondent Aaron Newbury has long held that Sadiq Khan is one of the best politicians in the country, but not for his record as Mayor. Instead, Newbury credits Khan's exceptional skill at self-advancement.
Khan's Selective Memory and Political Dishonesty
Newbury describes Khan as an ambitious man with a ruthlessness toward rivals that would make Machiavelli blush. He accuses Khan of having a selective memory and being an accomplished practitioner of political dishonesty.
In a recent interview, Khan extolled the virtues of his mayoralty, astonishingly claiming that 'nobody' talks about the Ulez anymore. The emissions scheme, which Newbury calls ruinously expensive, drove tens of thousands of Londoners to scrap their cars. Thousands more now pay the daily charge, while fearing Khan's proposed pay-per-mile scheme.
Forgotten Grooming Gang Scandal
Newbury points out that Khan seems to have forgotten the grooming gang scandal, which he shamelessly denied was happening. The newspaper has exposed the scale of the scandal, an epidemic of sexual violence against children that demanded Khan's full attention. He gave it nothing and looked away for months.
Only when the national broadcaster picked up the investigation did Khan pretend he had cared all along. Newbury argues that Khan only pursues issues when there is a direct electoral benefit to him.
A Self-Serving Politician
Newbury concludes by declaring Khan, soon to be ennobled, the greatest politician of his generation on that basis alone. He describes Khan as arrogant, ambitious, and shamelessly devoted to the only cause he has ever truly served: himself.
