Sadiq Khan
Sadiq Khan on The Andrew Marr Show. BBC

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said he would be happy to meet with US President Donald Trump if he made an official visit to Britain, and that he would take such an opportunity to show the Republican a multicultural London.

Khan's comments were made during an interview on The Andrew Marr Show on Sunday morning (12 November) after the host referenced Trump's attack targeting the mayor following June's London Bridge terror attack in which seven people were killed.

Trump mocked Khan for saying there was "no reason to be alarmed" just hours after the attack, taking the quote out of context.

The mayor was referring to the increased number of police officers on London's streets being no cause for alarm, not the attack itself.

In response, a spokesperson for the mayor described Trump's tweet as "ill-informed".

Khan later called for Donald Trump's planned state visit to be cancelled. Prime Minister Theresa May invited Trump to visit Britain in January, and the president accepted. Firm plans for a visit have yet to be made.

Khan told Marr he had been "a reluctant participant" in the Twitter spat, before discussing May's relationship with the president.

"We must have really good relations with our closest ally, we have a special relationship with them," he said. "It's good that Theresa May and Donald Trump have a good working relationship, what I'm not in favour of is a state visit with all that entails."

Marr then asked whether Khan would meet with Trump if a visit took place.

"If he wants to meet with the Mayor of London then of course I'd be happy to meet with him and show him parts of London where Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Sihks, members of organised faiths and those that aren't, don't just tolerate each other but respect, celebrate and embrace each other.

"I think we can be a beacon not just to the president of the USA but to the rest of the world."