Sadiq Khan will tell an audience of academics and political leaders in Chicago today (15 September) that a ‘hands-off’ approach to social integration does not work.
He will say that his Mayoralty will be assertive in its work to strengthen social bonds and shared values – and will insist there is a huge amount political leaders can do to ensure people of different ethnicities, faiths, cultures, age groups, sexualities and incomes don’t just tolerate each other, but live truly interconnected lives as neighbours, citizens and friends. Sadiq will warn that those who say it is not possible to hold western values dear and to be a Muslim are playing straight into the hands of terrorists. Their views only make it easier to radicalise young people and make it harder to protect the citizens of major cities such as Chicago, New York and London.
The Mayor of London will make those remarks when he delivers a keynote speech to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs today, during which he will set out his views on social integration for the first time.
In a speech entitled ‘Building bridges rather than walls’ the Mayor will tell his audience that he has been struck by how similar the challenges facing London and Chicago are - particularly the 'crucial challenge' of improving social integration and community cohesion in the face of globalisation and rapid population change.
Sadiq will say that, as a Muslim raised on a housing project, his election as Mayor of London was an embodiment of the diversity and tolerance in London. But, he will add, his home city faces similar challenges to Chicago, New York and Paris over the decades ahead, and that our cohesion remains fragile.
Sadiq Khan will say: “Social integration is not about ‘assimilation’ and it is perfectly possible for people to have multiple identities. I myself am a Londoner, a Brit, someone of Pakistani heritage, and a Muslim. But it is clear that a laissez-faire, hands off approach to integration simply doesn’t work. We must build bridges rather than walls and we must be strong, proud and patriotic in asserting our progressive and tolerant western values.”
The Mayor will tell his audience that improving social integration has been made all the more urgent by political events on both sides of the Atlantic, and that he believes a failure to improve integration is partly responsible for Britain voting to leave the European Union. There is increasingly clear evidence that a failure to encourage social integration increases unemployment, has a severe economic cost and increases the fear of crime. But Sadiq will say that there is a huge amount city leaders and Governments can do to improve social integration. That includes:
- Providing more support for people to learn languages when they arrive in a new country.
- Ensuring our public institutions have the confidence proudly to promote our common values.
- Community-proofing new housing and developments.
- Creating new community institutions that give neighbours real reasons to come together.
Social integration remains a new area of policy and the Mayor will point out that there is still not enough information or data to be able to compare levels of integration between different cities around the world, and therefore to learn what works and what does not. But with community cohesion at the top of the agenda for Mayors all over the world, there is now a real opportunity to share expertise and work together on a crucial issue.
Last week the Mayor demonstrated his desire to address this key issue when he announced that one of the country’s leading lawyers has agreed to become his Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility and Community Engagement. Matthew Ryder QC, who also sits as a part time judge, will join the Mayor’s team at City Hall from the beginning of October.
Sadiq has asked Matthew, a leading QC, to help ensure Londoners from different faiths, ethnicities, backgrounds and social classes are better integrated in a city that is the most diverse in the country, where the population is at record levels and where more than 300 languages are spoken. Matthew’s task will be to ensure Londoners of every gender, ethnicity, faith, culture, age, sexuality and socio-economic background don’t just live side by side, but live truly interconnected lives.
Notes to editors
In his first major international visit as Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan is taking the message direct to New York, Chicago and Montreal that London is open for business and is a key destination for North American investment and tourism. Over five days (14-19 September), he will make a wide range of visits and meet senior politicians, officials and business leaders of world class cities which face similar issues, to discuss how to tackle his top priorities of regeneration, housing, social integration and growing the tech and cultural industries.