Integrate or face populist fury, London mayor warns

AFP reports:

London mayor Sadiq Khan on Monday blamed a lack of integration between communities for fuelling the "divisive political forces" that led to the Brexit vote in Britain and the rise of Donald Trump.

Speaking on the sidelines of a forum in City Hall with mayors from around the world, he urged city leaders to take action or risk further backlash.

"There are populist parties around the world taking advantage of the concerns and anxieties people legitimately have... we (Britain) chose to leave the European Union and we've had a very divisive US presidential election," he told AFP in an interview.

"We've seen with social and scientific advances the globalised northern countries doing very well, but within those countries people feeling they're not sharing the fruits of that prosperity," he added.

"We should be making sure that we integrate far better than we currently do," said Khan, the first Muslim mayor of a Western capital, who was elected in May.

US President-elect Trump and leaders of the Brexit campaign both focussed on immigration concerns in the run up to their shock victories.

Mayor Khan notices a big problem.