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Sadiq Khan responded to Zack Polanski's by-election campaign video during a London Assembly meeting by speaking in Urdu, referencing Polanski’s controversial video which used the language and drew criticism from some MPs. The mayor joked about his proficiency in Urdu while addressing a question posed by Polanski regarding data centers. This exchange was met with laughter but also faced backlash from critics like Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds who argued that campaign material should be strictly in English to ensure voter comprehension, despite only around 156 people listing Urdu as their main language in the constituency.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-17,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, mocked Zack Polanski, a Green Party leader running for MP in Holborn and St Pancras, by responding to him in Urdu during the London Assembly's Mayor's Question Time on Thursday. This came after Polanski released a campaign video addressing voters in Urdu earlier that week. Khan joked about his proficiency with the language, saying he feared Polanski might ask questions in Urdu. The exchange was seen as a lighthearted response to criticism from some MPs who argued political videos should be conducted "in the language of public life." Despite the criticism, Khan's Urdu reply received laughter from fellow assembly members and praise for his pronunciation skills.
Written for “Sadiq Khan Mocks Campaign Video” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.35, but 1 quote(s) could not be found in the article and the other 1 are attributed speech rather than the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 15992: no verified evidence · logged 2026-09-17
“I thought chair that as the member is so proficient in Urdu, I would speak in Urdu,” he said, jokingly adding: “I was worried the question might be in Urdu.”
uncertain
question → think → Urdu
Mr Polanski had asked the mayor about data centres at Wednesday’s meeting, before receiving a response in the national language of Pakistan.
asserted
Polanski → ask → Pakistan
The light-hearted exchange was a reference to Mr Polanski’s Urdu campaign video for the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, which came under fire from some MPs who argued that political videos should be conducted strictly “in the language of public life”.
asserted
videos → come → life
Lord Khan’s surprise response was met with laughter from fellow London Assembly members and Mr Polanski himself, while one member praised the mayor’s pronunciation.
asserted
member → meet → pronunciation
Mr Polanski’s video was an attempt by the Green Party to appeal to voters in the constituency ahead of the by-election, but it sparked criticism from MPs.
asserted
it → appeal → MPs
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said voters should be able to understand what candidates are saying, while Tory shadow communities secretary Katie Lam branded the campaign video as “poisonous”.
asserted
Lam → say → video
Mr Reynolds said the footage made him feel “uncomfortable”, telling Times Radio that his views “have hardened” on the need for campaign literature to be in English.
asserted
literature → say → English
Other critics pointed to the 2021 Census data showing that 816 Pakistanis lived in the constituency, with around 156 people listing Urdu as their main language.
asserted
people → point → language
Defending the Urdu video, a Green Party spokesperson said: “The Greens believe that democracy doesn't discriminate by languages spoken.
asserted
democracy → defend → languages
Holborn and St Pancras is a true reflection of the diversity of London and of our country and we choose to embrace and celebrate that.
asserted
we → choose → that
Read More
“If we want to speak to people who speak Urdu, it makes sense to speak to them in Urdu.
asserted
it → read → Urdu
We're proud to reach voters in as many languages as possible”.
asserted
We → reach → languages
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