Sadiq Khan mocked Zack Polanski during a London Assembly meeting by responding to the Green Party leader in Urdu.
This week, Polanski released a campaign video for the Holborn and St Pancras by-election in which he spoke in Urdu.
Polanski, who is standing as the Green candidate in the by-election on October 8, said in Urdu: “My name is Zack Polanski, and I am standing for the seat of Holborn and St Pancras. Because of pressure from the Greens, Labour has made many U-turns. Vote for the Greens.”
The video sparked backlash from MPs on both the left and right though, who took issue with Polanski using the language primarily spoken in South Asia, and which is the national language of Pakistan.
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Tory shadow communities secretary Katie Lam accused Polanski of “poisonous”politics by “attempting to appeal to group-based grievances by campaigning in foreign languages.”
Meanwhile, business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the footage made him feel “uncomfortable” and that voters should be able to understand what candidates are saying.
So, when Polanski appeared in City Hall on Thursday, Sadiq Khan couldn’t resist poking fun at the Green politician.
After Polanski asked Khan if he would say “no” to approving a new data centre if it didn’t “secure clean water and energy supply,” the London Mayor, whose parents are from Pakistan, responded in Urdu.
According to Guido Fawkes, Khan said: “Peace be upon you. I was worried that you would ask the question in Urdu, but you asked your question in English. I’ll be spending time in Holborn and St Pancras this week and I’m going to be there. Maybe, maybe we will meet there.”
He did then switch to English, apologising to Urdu speakers if his accent sounded Russian.
The Guardian reports that Polanski was less than amused, and complained that Khan was taking up time that he wanted to devote to the climate crisis.
Answering Polanski’s question, Khan said data centres in London would only be approved if they were “clean and sustainable”.
On social media, many praised Khan for the moment, with some right-wing voices even admitting it had made them laugh.