Sadiq Khan warned today that the West must face a century-old war against the far right, which is making inroads into the developed world. He called on ministers to combat extremism before Donald Trump takes office for a second term as US president.

London's mayor has issued the strongest rallying cry of any senior British politician against right-wing forces in the United States, France and Germany, warning of a "resurgence of fascism" online and saying tougher laws on harmful content are needed to stop it. tide.

His intervention comes as far-right figures from across Europe gather for Trump's inauguration on Monday. These include Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni and Eric Zeimour, a former French presidential candidate known for his xenophobia.

for observerKhan also took aim at Elon Musk and major social media bosses who have been accused of fueling the spread of far-right material. He accused "their financial backers of selfishly choosing to put the company's profits over the interests of our democracy."

“Progressives in the Western world face the challenge of a century—the stakes for liberal democracy could not be higher,” he wrote. "The far right and the extreme right are marching on. It's a deeply concerning time, especially if you're a member of a minority community. As historians and commentators increasingly find the 1920s in the present day And the shadow of the 1930s, we can't admit defeat.

"We should be in no doubt that these are dangerous times. The specter of a resurgent fascism haunts the West... To fend off the far right, we must remain steadfast in our defense of our democracy and values ​​and determined to improve the welfare of our communities and material conditions.”

In a thinly veiled attempt to pressure Starmer and his ministers to further condemn Trump's extreme rhetoric, he said it was important when the incoming US president made the extreme interventions that have characterized his political rise. It is time for ministers and liberals to make their voices heard. .

"I agree with the government that we need to be pragmatic in the international arena," Khan wrote. “But progressives everywhere should never give in to the far right, nor should they be afraid to speak truth to power when needed.”

Earlier, Foreign Secretary David Lamy said he had "no intention of condemning our closest allies" when faced with Trump's threats to seize Greenland and the Panama Canal. While Lamy once described Trump as "a sociopath who hates women and sympathizes with neo-Nazis," he now sees dealing with Trump as part of his "progressive realism" strategy.

Khan was targeted by Trump during his first term as president after a series of posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, and was accused of "destroying the city of London" and failing to deal with terrorism.

Khan called on ministers to "step up" pressure on social media companies to tackle hate and misinformation and accused Musk of reinstating the accounts of far-right figures including Tommy Robinson.

"A billionaire bully should not be using his social media platform as a propaganda tool to amplify lies and advance the cause of the far right," he said. “Nor should social media companies avoid responsibility for algorithms that maximize and monetize hate.”

Ministers are said to be paying close attention to Meta's recent announcement to end fact-checking and reduce restrictions on topics such as immigration and gender on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Threads.

However, it is unclear what impact the Online Safety Bill will have, as judgments must be made on the illegal hate speech that platforms such as X are obliged to remove. While the government desperately needs investment from tech giants as part of its quest for growth, Science and Technology Minister Peter Keir said cyber security would not be sacrificed.

A government spokesman said: "Extremist content has no place in our society. That's why we work closely with law enforcement, local communities and international partners to target those who spread division and hatred.

"From March, the Cybersecurity Law will require social media platforms to remove illegal misinformation and content harmful to children. We are in regular contact with all major platforms to ensure they are prepared for these laws and urge them to combat The spread of misinformation and disinformation on their website. Our message is clear – there is no need to wait; they should take action now to protect their users.”