Top lawyers back Khan to become next Labour Mayor of London

Sadiq Khan's campaign to be the next Mayor of London has received another major boost having been endorsed by several heavyweights from the legal world.

A letter of support from 20 barristers and solicitors, including 10 QCs, from some of the capital's leading chambers and law firms, comes after the former Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Keir Starmer threw his support behind Khan to become the 'most powerful Labour politician' as London mayor, earlier this month.

Khan, the former shadow justice secretary and MP for Tooting, is one of the mayoral frontrunners after a Survation poll earlier this month put him ahead of the likely Conservative candidate, Zac Goldsmith. This is despite a separate YouGov poll which found that nearly a third of Londoners would be uncomfortable if the next London Mayor was Muslim.

Now, in an open letter published today, a tranche of high-profile lawyers such as Michael Mansfield QC, Sir Geoffrey Bindman QC, Imran Khan, and James Wood QC of Doughty Street Chambers, have opined that the former solicitor has a 'terrific reputation in the legal world', and would 'represent the very best of modern, tolerant and diverse London'.

The letter states: 'The Mayor of London holds one of the most influential positions in the country. London needs a mayor who will use their role to stand up for the city, its citizens and in particular the vulnerable and take on the vested interests that seek to disadvantage us.

'Sadiq Khan had a terrific reputation in the legal world. He was a lawyer who went the extra mile for his clients and was a credit to the profession we all practice. After giving up his legal career to stand for parliament in 2005, he has carved out a role as an effective advocate for the rule of law, access to justice and for universal human rights. It's time for a mayor who represents the very best of modern, tolerant and diverse London. We believe that person is Sadiq Khan.'

Other backers for Khan include his shadow cabinet colleagues Lord Willy Bach, the shadow attorney general, shadow solicitor general Karl Turner MP, shadow justice minister Andy Slaughter MP, and Emily Thornberry MP, the former shadow attorney general.

Speaking exclusively to SJ in March, Khan said: 'Whether it's trying to dismantle the human rights legislation, trying to get rid of judicial review, removing social welfare legal aid from the most vulnerable, dismantling the way criminal legal aid works, which causes miscarriages of justice, demonising hardworking advisers and lawyers in the legal profession by calling them "fat-cat ambulance chasers", impacting the future diversity of the judiciary by getting rid of so many high street firms; what David Cameron and Nick Clegg have allowed successive Lord Chancellors to do has resulted in considerable damage that we will spend a long time repairing.'

The full list of signatories supporting Khan is:

Lord Willy Bach (shadow attorney general)

Joel Bennathan QC (Doughty Street Chambers)

Sir Geoffrey Bindman QC (founder of Bindmans)

Brenda Campbell (Garden Court Chambers)

Ben Emmerson QC (Matrix Chambers)

Professor Conor Gearty (professor of Human Rights Law, London School of Economics)

Raza Husain QC (Matrix Chambers)

Steve Hynes (director of the Legal Action Group)

Baroness Helena Kennedy QC (member of the House of Lords and Doughty Street Chambers)

Imran Khan (Imran Khan Solicitors)

Judy Khan QC (Garden Court Chambers)

Shazia Khan (partner, Bindmans)

Michael Mansfield QC (Mansfield Chambers)

Michel Massih QC (Drystone Chambers)

Tim Owen QC (Matrix Chambers)

Matthew Ryder QC (Matrix Chambers)

Jo Sidhu QC (chair, Society of Asian Lawyers)

Andy Slaughter MP (barrister, shadow justice minister and MP for Hammersmith)

Emily Thornberry MP (barrister, formerly of Took Court Chambers, former shadow attorney general and MP for Islington South & Finsbury)

James Wood QC (Doughty Street Chambers)

Shah Qureshi (partner and Head of Employment Law, Bindmans)

Karl Turner MP (barrister, shadow solicitor general, and MP for Hull East)

John Wadham (former director of Liberty and general counsel of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission)

Kieran Vaughan QC (Gardent Court Chambers)

Quincy Whitaker (Doughty Street Chambers)

Fraser Whitehead (former chair, Society of Labour Lawyers)

 

John van der Luit-Drummond is deputy editor for Solicitors Journal
john.vanderluit@solicitorsjournal.co.uk | @JvdLD