Khan says Farage racism claims are reminder of slurs he faced as child

Sadiq Khan has spoken of his dismay at Nigel Farage’s “desperate” denials of allegations of teenage racism as he described how his experience as a child had shaped his life.

- Daniel Boffey Chief reporter

The mayor of London said testimony from more than 20 individuals who made allegations about Farage, the leader of the Reform UK party, had summoned memories of his own past.

“Being called the P-word at that age doesn’t just hurt you, it changes you,” he said. “It changes how you pronounce your name. It changes the way you talk to your friends, and it changes the way you walk down the street. These are experiences you never forget.”

Khan, 55, said he could not understand why Farage, 61, had failed to apologise to the individuals who were contemporaries of his at Dulwich college in southeast London.

He said Farage’s suggestion that the alleged abuse could be dismissed as “banter” that was of its time failed to recognise the impact on those on the receiving end.

“Growing up in London in the 70s and 80s, I was no stranger to racist abuse,” Khan said. “Those responsible might have thought it was a bit of harmless banter, but I’ll never forget how their words made me feel.”

Khan, whose parents moved to the UK from Pakistan in the 1960s, has spoken before of facing abuse during his childhood in Tooting, south London.