Sir Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, has been accused of lying after writing in his book that activists parked a caravan adorned with swastikas near his home. The group behind the so-called 'Khanavan' denies the symbol was present and has complained to the publisher of Khan's book Breathe, claiming the passage is libellous.
Allegations in the Book
In his book Breathe, Khan wrote: "For several days, a caravan was chained by my home bearing slogans and artwork that included swastikas." He also claimed that critics "targeted" his wife and daughters, and that a letter containing a bullet was mailed to him. The caravan was placed by an anonymous group opposing the expansion of London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in August 2023.
Group's Response and Legal Concerns
A spokesperson for the Khanavan group said they considered legal action but found current libel laws unhelpful because they were not named individually. They stated: "We can however prove that we have been potentially put at risk, if ever identified by name, such as in any news feature or articles, as the lie exists and people have already formed opinions and voiced them as to what they believe we are like from Khan’s lies." The group also noted that legal costs were prohibitively expensive for what was only a consultation, with no guarantee of the case being taken on.
The spokesperson added: "Yet the Mayor can use £7million of taxpayers' money to protect his reputation and promote London for tourism, instead of addressing the issues. He has directly ignored, not answering the question when put to him about the swastika lies, but smirked instead, the man thinks he is untouchable." Photographs supplied by the group appear to show no swastikas on the caravan.
Publisher's Stance
Penguin Random House, the publisher of Breathe, responded to the group's complaint, stating: "We reject your allegations that the passage complained of gives rise to any legal claim in libel or otherwise. No individual or entity is identifiable from the book as the subject of the allegedly libellous statement. Further, you have not identified yourselves in your complaint, and we are unable to confirm whether you are the individuals behind the Khanavan as claimed." The publisher added that they take factual accuracy seriously and would consider changes on an editorial basis in future reprints if necessary.
ULEZ Expansion Impact
The ULEZ expansion has been controversial, but a 2025 report concluded that roadside NO2 concentrations in outer London were on average up to 4.8% lower than would have been expected without the enlargement. The report also stated that the expansion "has had no negative impact on footfall and spend in the outer London area, or at a London-wide level." In July 2025, City Hall reported that since ULEZ became London-wide on August 29, 2023, up to the financial period ending April 26, 2025, total revenues generated from the scheme were approximately £394 million.
