Sadiq Khan’s election as London’s mayor was a blow against politics of hate and fear

One can only hope that xenophobic Trumpism will be rejected by the American electorate, writes Pankaj Mishra

Donald Trump has become the presumptive Republican nominee in the US presidential elections. But those condemned to agonising suspense and anxiety until November should note that Trumpism, or the politics of hate and fear, also suffered a major defeat last week.

I refer to the election of former human rights lawyer Sadiq Khan as London’s mayor. That the son of a Pakistani bus driver, whose campaign team included gay men and Jewish women, should become the mayor of a great European city would signal hope for our irrevocably mixed societies at any time. Its significance in this era of politically expedient bigotry cannot be overestimated.