(Jewish News) Sadiq Khan has apologised to the chief rabbi after implying that Ephraim Mirvis’s criticism of his call for a Gaza ceasefire was influenced by his Muslim-sounding name.
In an interview with the broadcaster Mehdi Hasan, the mayor of London suggested he was “disappointed” when Jewish leaders and “friends” including Mirvis condemned his decision to speak out on Gaza, while a similar ceasefire call by Manchester Metro mayor Andy Burnham was ignored.
In comments that immediately sparked anger in the community, Khan told Hasan: “What motivated them to come out in the way they did against the mayor of London, and the mayor of Greater Manchester — I’ll give you a clue, he’s not called Ahmed Bourani, he’s called Andy Burnham, whereas I’m called Sadiq Khan.”
