Sadiq Khan walks into the restaurant. If you had never set eyes on him before you’d guess he was a politician within five seconds. Ten, and you’d have him down as mayor. There’s the fast walk, the faster talk, the quality coat, the handshake, the entourage. I’ve been sitting in the empty London restaurant with his personal adviser and suddenly it’s half-full – people discreetly dotted at any number of tables.
I point to them. “That’s my security. It’s the same level of protection the prime minister and the king receive,” says the former Labour MP and current mayor of London. The diminutive Khan is no stranger to bigging himself up, but he’s not doing so now. He sounds embarrassed and regretful. Six years ago he was trolled on Twitter by Donald Trump and that’s when the attacks intensified. But there had been plenty before then.
