One of the things that makes me proudest to represent our community in Islington South and Finsbury is our belief in mutual respect and tolerance. Every kind of person lives in Islington, we all find a way to live together, and we stand firm against those who seek to divide us.

It shouldn’t be too much to expect our Prime Minister to stand up for those values too. And yet I was appalled at Rishi Sunak’s refusal in recent weeks to condemn Lee Anderson’s attack on Sadiq Khan as Islamophobic, let alone to condemn the vile, racist remarks made by a millionaire Tory donor about Diane Abbott.

By contrast, over the past eight years, we have been led by a Mayor for all Londoners. Sadiq Khan has shown that he shares our values. He knows that London is a city where everyone deserves equality of opportunity and a fair shot at life, and he knows this is what gives London it’s strength and character.

But he has also shown he can consistently deliver on London’s priorities. Thanks to Sadiq, we now have more council houses being built across London than at any time since the 1970s. We have public transport prices kept low with his Hopper Fare and five-year fare freeze. And we’ve seen strong action taken to clean up London’s toxic air and tackle the climate emergency, with more than a million trees planted across the capital.

Sadiq has also followed Islington Labour’s lead and rolled out universal free school meals across London – ensuring every primary school child gets a nutritious lunch every day and saving parents up to £500 per child every year.

But all that progress is under threat as we approach the Mayoral and London Assembly elections on 2 May. The Tories have chosen a candidate with no record of delivery, and who has a history of stirring up division by liking racist tweets and praising Donald Trump. Even worse, the government have changed the voting rules in this election to try and maximise their candidate’s chance of winning.

We can’t let the Tories get away with this. It is essential that everyone turns up to vote Labour on Thursday 2 May and makes sure they bring photo ID to the polling station. So don’t rely on others – we need everyone to vote to re-elect our fantastic London Assembly Member, Sem Moema, and ensure Sadiq can continue his record of delivering for London.

After eight years of success under Sadiq, we can’t hand the mayoralty to a Tory candidate who spends every spare moment running down our city, and criticising our values. That’s why I’ll be fighting for every vote Sadiq needs to be re-elected as Mayor of London on 2 May. Don’t rely on your neighbour to vote Labour, join the fight.

A version of this column also appeared in the Islington Gazette, which can be visited by clicking here.