In a wide-ranging interview broadcast on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on February 6, 2026, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan delivered one of his most emphatic defences yet of immigration and multiculturalism. The Labour politician, now in his third term, declared that migrants have “transformed” the capital for the better, insisting that London today is “far superior” to the city of the 1980s thanks to its diversity, economic dynamism, and sense of unity.
The remarks, however, have reignited fierce debate across the political spectrum, with critics accusing him of ignoring crime statistics, housing pressures, and widespread public anxiety over rapid demographic change.
Khan’s comments came during a discussion on the government’s latest immigration white paper and the ongoing fallout from record net migration figures in 2025 (estimated at 906,000). Asked whether London could absorb further inflows without strain, the mayor responded:
“Forty years ago London was a very different place — more monochrome, less vibrant, less economically successful. Migrants didn’t just come here; they built modern London. They opened businesses, staffed our hospitals, taught in our schools, drove our buses, cooked in our restaurants, and enriched every corner of our culture. Today we are the most diverse city on Earth, and that diversity is our greatest strength. We have unity in our diversity — people from every background living side by side, working together, celebrating together.
London is far better now than it was in the 1980s, and I make no apology for saying so.”
He went on to cite statistics: London’s GDP has more than tripled in real terms since 1985; the city is home to over 300 languages; nine out of ten Londoners say they feel they belong; and migrant-owned businesses contribute an estimated £40 billion annually to the economy. Khan also pointed to the capital’s cultural calendar — Diwali in Trafalgar Square, Notting Hill Carnival, Chinese New Year in Chinatown — as proof that integration has succeeded.
The mayor’s optimism stands in stark contrast to national polling. A YouGov survey conducted in January 2026 found that 58% of Britons believe immigration levels over the past decade have been “too high”, with 62% saying the same about London specifically. Among Londoners themselves, 47% agreed that the pace of change had been “too fast”, while only 32% said the city was “better” because of recent migration. These figures have remained stubbornly consistent since 2020, despite successive mayoral and general election campaigns emphasising the benefits of diversity.
Critics were quick to respond. Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp called Khan’s remarks “out of touch” and “insulting to ordinary Londoners struggling with housing, transport, and crime”. He pointed to Metropolitan Police data showing knife crime up 22% since 2016, with a disproportionate number of young perpetrators from certain migrant communities. “The mayor celebrates diversity while his city bleeds,” Philp said in a statement. “Londoners want safer streets, affordable homes, and shorter GP waiting times — not more lectures on how wonderful mass migration has been.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage went further, describing the interview as “the final proof that Sadiq Khan lives in a parallel universe”. Speaking on GB News, Farage argued: “He says London is ‘far better’ than the 1980s. Tell that to the families of the thousands murdered or seriously injured in knife attacks since he became mayor. Tell that to the young women who no longer feel safe on night buses. Tell that to the renters priced out by endless population growth. Diversity is not unity when communities live parallel lives and resentment festers.”
Housing campaigners also weighed in. Centre for London, a centrist think tank, published a briefing the same day noting that the capital’s population has grown by nearly 1.8 million since 2000 — almost entirely driven by net international migration — while housebuilding has lagged far behind. Average rents in inner London now exceed £2,600 per month, and first-time buyers face deposits averaging £120,000. “Diversity has brought enormous economic and cultural benefits,” the report stated, “but it has also created acute pressure on infrastructure that successive governments — and mayors — have failed to address adequately.”
Khan’s defenders, however, argue that blaming migrants for structural problems is both unfair and counterproductive. London’s Labour MPs, including Wes Streeting and Stella Creasy, praised the mayor for “speaking truth to populist fear-mongering”. Business leaders from the City of London Corporation and London First reiterated that migrants fill critical labour shortages in healthcare, tech, hospitality, and construction. The NHS in London would collapse without overseas staff, they say — a point Khan frequently repeats.
Academic voices are divided. Dr Shamit Saggar, professor of politics at the University of Sussex, noted that London’s multiculturalism has produced “remarkable social cohesion” compared with other global cities facing similar inflows. “Trust between ethnic groups in London is higher than in Paris, Berlin, or New York,” he said in a recent paper. “That doesn’t mean there are no tensions, but the narrative of ‘failure’ is overstated.” Conversely, migration researcher Dr Matt Goodwin of Buckingham University countered that “perceptions matter as much as reality”.
He pointed to focus groups in outer boroughs where residents report feeling culturally alienated in their own neighbourhoods.
The debate has also taken on a partisan edge ahead of the 2028 mayoral election. Conservative candidate Susan Hall has made “taking back control of London’s borders” a central plank of her campaign, promising to work with a future Conservative government to cap non-essential migration into the capital. Khan’s team has dismissed the rhetoric as “scaremongering”, insisting that London’s success proves a managed, high-skill immigration system works.
Ultimately, Sadiq Khan’s claim that migrants have made London “far better” than 40 years ago encapsulates the deepest fault line in contemporary British politics: whether diversity is an unalloyed good or a mixed blessing that requires far stricter management. The mayor has chosen his side unequivocally — and in doing so, he has ensured that the argument will dominate headlines for months to come.
Whether Londoners — and Britons more broadly — agree with him will be tested not just in opinion polls, but in the everyday experience of living in one of the world’s great global cities.