Sadiq Khan mocks Zack Polanski by speaking to him in Urdu

London mayor Sadiq Khan has mocked Zack Polanski by speaking to him in Urdu in a nod to the Green leader’s recent, much commented on, by-election campaign video.

Drumming up votes as he battles to replace Sir Keir Starmer as the MP for Holborn and St Pancras, Mr Polanski introduced himself in the language and encouraged people to back him in the contest on October 8.

But he was condemned for the video, after critics pointed out there were relatively few speakers of the language in the north London constituency.

Told that French was the most widely spoken foreign language in the area, he quickly responded with a second video – only to be accused of errors in the French subtitles that accompanied it.

At Mayor's Question Time in City Hall on Thursday, Mr Khan mocked London Assembly member Mr Polanski’s use of Urdu, to howls of laughter from other politicians.

The mayor’s team later said he had told him: “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 added, in English: “I thought as the member is so proficient in Urdu that I would speak in Urdu.”

Urdu is the national language of Pakistan, the country Mr Khan’s parents left in the 1960s to move to England. The mayor has often spoken of his pride in his Pakistani heritage.

Labour MP Naz Shah later tweeted it was “pure class” from the London mayor.

In response to Mr Polanski's by-election video in Urdu, Tory local government spokesman Katie Lam accused him of “attempting to appeal to group-based grievances by campaigning in foreign languages”, which she said was “poisonous” and called for a ban.

But the Greens hit back that they “believe that democracy doesn't discriminate by languages spoken” adding “if we want to speak to people who speak Urdu, it makes sense to speak to them in Urdu. We're proud to reach voters in as many languages as possible.”

Sir Keir resigned as MP earlier this month, despite having previously said he would stay in the Commons until the next UK general election, not due until 2029.

Labour is the favourite to hold the seat, with the Greens the party’s main competitor.