London, England, United Kingdom
London gave me the opportunities to go from the council estate in Tooting where I grew up, to being Mayor of the greatest city in the world. My parents moved to London from Pakistan in the 1960s. I was state-school educated and went on to study Law at the University of North London. Before entering politics, I worked as a human rights lawyer for more than 10 years, helping to build and run a firm of 50 employees. My political career began in 1994, when I became a councillor in the London Borough of Wandsworth until 2006. I was then elected as the MP for Tooting in 2005. In 2008, I was appointed Minister of State for Communities and later became Minister of State for Transport, becoming the first Muslim to attend Cabinet. I was also Crossrail Minister and then Shadow Secretary for Justice and Constitutional Affairs from 2010 until 2015. In 2013 I was appointed Shadow Minister for London, and in 2014 and 2015 led the Labour Party campaign in London in the local council, European and then General Elections. I was honoured to be elected Mayor of London in May 2016 with 1.3 million votes–the largest personal mandate of any politician in UK history. In 2021 I was reelected as Mayor of London, and again in 2024 for a historic third term. I feel truly humbled to serve this incredible city for another four years. I still wake up every morning passionate about delivering my promise to Londoners: to make London a fairer city where all Londoners get the opportunities that our city gave to me and my family. I’m working hard to improve the lives of every single person in our city, regardless of your borough or background, race or religion, postcode or political affiliation. This is my promise to you: to deliver a brighter future for London and to stand up for London.