LONDON: Opposition Labour lawmaker Sadiq Khan is on course to become the new mayor of London and the first Muslim leader of an EU capital, final opinion polls showed on Wednesday, despite attempts to link him to extremists.

The son of a Pakistani immigrant bus driver has a 12- or 14-point lead over Zac Goldsmith, his multimillionaire rival from Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservative party, according to two polls published ahead of Thursday’s vote.

In a final campaign stop in a street market in a multi-cultural district of south London, Mr Khan joked with stallholders and their customers and posed in the warm spring sunshine for selfie pictures.

But he condemned the divisive nature of the campaign that has seen him repeatedly forced to defend himself against claims that he has failed to condemn Muslim extremists.

“I am disappointed that the Conservatives and Zac Goldsmith have decided to have a negative, divisive and increasingly desperate campaign,” he told AFP.

“Hopefully if I win, I’ll be the mayor that unites our city again, that brings communities together.”

Tensions over the campaign have been exacerbated by a simmering row over anti-Semitism in the Labour party, which exploded last week with the suspension of a lawmaker and former London mayor Ken Livingstone.

In angry clashes in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Mr Cameron accused Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn of failing to tackle the problem and accuse both him and Mr Khan of being sympathetic to extremists.

Reviving previous comments by Mr Corbyn referring to the Palestinian Hamas movement and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia as “friends”, Mr Cameron said Labour was a “party that puts extremists over working people”.

Mr Corbyn denied he approved of those groups and hit back by accusing the Conservatives of “systematically smearing” Mr Khan. He urged the prime minister to tackle racism in his own party, which he suggested was “endemic”.

Asked about Mr Cameron’s comments by a market customer, Mr Khan joked: “He’s obsessed with me! The best way to get even is to win.”

Mr Khan has urged Mr Corbyn to take more action to tackle anti-Semitism in the Labour party, while trying to distance himself from a row that threatens not only his prospects but Labour’s showing in other regional elections on Thursday.

But he was embroiled in fresh controversy when footage emerged of a 2009 interview in which he said government attempts to engage the Muslim community could not just focus on “Uncle Toms”.

“I regret using that phrase,” which is often used against black people to suggest they are subservient to white people, Mr Khan told ITV News. “I was wrong and I regret it.”

Despite the attacks, Mr Khan appears on course to become the next occupant of City Hall, which has responsibility for transport, policing, housing and promoting economic development in the British capital.

An Opinium survey for the Evening Standard newspaper put him on 35 per cent compared to 26 per cent for Mr Goldsmith. His lead lengthened once second preference votes were taken into account, to 57pc against 43pc.

A second poll, by ComRes for LBC radio and ITV News London, put Mr Khan and Mr Goldsmith on 45pc and 36pc, moving to 56pc and 44pc on second preferences. Mr Khan, 45, grew up in social housing and worked as a human rights lawyer before rising to be a government minister -- a back story that contrasts sharply with his rival.

Mr Goldsmith, 41, is the son of late tycoon financier James Goldsmith, and an environmentalist and Conservative lawmaker who Labour has sought to portray as out of touch.

Mr Khan said: “I’m a Londoner, I’m British, I’m of Islamic faith, of course I am a proud Muslim. I’m of Asian origin, of Pakistani heritage. I’m a dad, I’m a husband, I’m a long-suffering Liverpool fan. I’m all these things.

“But the great thing about this city is you can be a Londoner of any faith or none and we don’t simply tolerate each other, we respect, we embrace and we celebrate each other. That’s one of the great things about London.”

He said the Conservatives were waging an “increasingly desperate campaign” against him.

HELPING HAND: During his walkabout in the market, Mr Khan also pledged to help address the most pressing issue at stake for many Londoners -- the sky-high cost of housing.

“I’ve gone from a council estate to being a lawyer, to running a successful business to being a minister in the cabinet and I’m running for mayor. But how many other Londoners have had the chances I’ve had?

“The reason why I’m running to be mayor is there are too many Londoners who don’t get the helping hand that I received.

“My London plan will ensure half the new homes are genuinely affordable. We can’t have this situation where homes are being built that Londoners can’t afford, or homes built that are sold off-plan overseas to investors.”

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2016