Sir Sadiq Khan poked fun at Zack Polanski’s Urdu campaign video by answering a question from the Green Party leader in the language during a meeting of the London Assembly.
“I thought chair that as the member is so proficient in Urdu, I would speak in Urdu,” he said, jokingly adding: “I was worried the question might be in Urdu.”
Mr Polanski had asked the mayor about data centres at Wednesday’s meeting, before receiving a response in the national language of Pakistan.
The light-hearted exchange was a reference to Mr Polanski’s Urdu campaign video for the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, which came under fire from some MPs who argued that political videos should be conducted strictly “in the language of public life”.
Lord Khan’s surprise response was met with laughter from fellow London Assembly members and Mr Polanski himself, while one member praised the mayor’s pronunciation.
آٹھ اکتوبر کو گرین پارٹی کو ووٹ دیں pic.twitter.com/xzqVkDpXLv
— Bold Politics (@_BoldPolitics) September 14, 2026
Mr Polanski’s video was an attempt by the Green Party to appeal to voters in the constituency ahead of the by-election, but it sparked criticism from MPs.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said voters should be able to understand what candidates are saying, while Tory shadow communities secretary Katie Lam branded the campaign video as “poisonous”.
Mr Reynolds said the footage made him feel “uncomfortable”, telling Times Radio that his views “have hardened” on the need for campaign literature to be in English.
Other critics pointed to the 2021 Census data showing that 816 Pakistanis lived in the constituency, with around 156 people listing Urdu as their main language. The area’s large Asian population is overwhelmingly Bangladeshi, with Bengali the primary language.
Defending the Urdu video, a Green Party spokesperson said: “The Greens believe that democracy doesn't discriminate by languages spoken. Many people are bilingual. Holborn and St Pancras is a true reflection of the diversity of London and of our country and we choose to embrace and celebrate that.
“If we want to speak to people who speak Urdu, it makes sense to speak to them in Urdu. We're proud to reach voters in as many languages as possible”.
