Sadiq Khan mentioned power almost 40 times as he threw down a thinly veiled challenge to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn at the partys annual conference in Liverpool today (27 September).
Labour in power. Not just talking the talk, but walking the walk too. Never sacrificing or selling out on our ideals, but putting them in action every single day, Mayor of London said.
Not a revolution overnight, but real and meaningful change that makes life easier for the people who need it most.
Khan, who beat Conservative Zac Goldsmith in May to reclaim City Hall for Labour, also congratulated Corbyn on his re-election and urged the party to work towards the greatest power: Labour back into power.
Conference, with Labour in power, your home and your commute get more affordable, the air you breathe gets less polluted, you get better pay and conditions at work, our businesses are supported to grow, and new jobs are created, he added.
The former Tooting MP nominated Corbyn in the 2015 leadership election to broaden the debate, but Khan did not vote for the left-winger. Corbyn was all but absent during his campaign for Mayor of London, while Khan later backed failed leadership challenger Owen Smith.
He was also critical of Theresa May and her government for using EU nationals as bargaining chips for Brexit negotiations with Brussels. The Conservatives have so far failed to give the millions of workers assurances on their right to stay after the UK splits from the EU.
With Labour out of power, the future of EU citizens in Britain - who came here because they want to work and contribute - is being used as a bargaining chip. Well thats wrong and the government should be ashamed, Khan said.
The Mayor of London went onto praise EU citizens across the UK for their huge contributions to the countrys public services, including schools and the NHS.
You make a massive contribution to our country; economically, socially and culturally. Thank you. Thank you for all that you do to make our country great. You are welcome here, he said.
A joint statement from the Home Office, Foreign Office and Cabinet Office stressed there had been no change to the right of EU nationals to reside in the UK because Article 50, the official mechanism to split from Brussels, had not been triggered.
As was the case before the referendum, EU nationals can only be removed from the UK if they are considered to pose a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat to the public, if they are not lawfully resident or are abusing their free movement rights, the government added.
