Sadiq Khan calls to 'highlight the benefits of immigration'

Sadiq Khan urged a reset of the immigration debate and called for highlighting immigration's benefits after a Guildhall speech and a post on X; he said legal migration has recently fallen while noting long-term increases since the early 1990s.

Sadiq Khan has called for a reset of the immigration debate and said authorities should emphasise the benefits of migration following a speech at London's Guildhall and a post on X. He described a recent fall in legal migration while also noting long-term rises since the early 1990s. In remarks to the Fabian Society conference he criticised far-right rhetoric and argued it paints a false picture of London. His comments followed earlier exchanges with political opponents and remarks by former US President Donald Trump about the capital. Key points: - Khan posted on X with the caption "it's time to reset the immigration debate" and urged highlighting immigration's benefits. - He said there had been a "drastic fall" in legal migration while pointing to longer-term increases since the early 1990s, as reported in the article. - In a speech to the Fabian Society he criticised Reform and Conservative politicians and said far-right rhetoric portrays London as dangerous. - The article notes earlier disputes, including comments by Donald Trump and Mr Khan's response that some remarks normalise extreme views. - The mayor cited data saying parts of London's crime picture have improved, including a reported fall in the murder rate, while opponents accused him of cherry-picking figures. - The article includes wider migration figures reported by the House of Commons Library and other outlets, such as around 1.27 million foreign nationals moving to the UK in 2023 and a fall to fewer than 900,000 in the year to June 2025, and internal London movement reported as a net outflow in 2024. Summary: Sadiq Khan's statement seeks to reframe public discussion about migration and to emphasise diversity as a positive for the city. The comments prompted responses from political opponents and drew on recent migration and crime figures cited in the article. Undetermined at this time.