I’m still waiting for Khan to take a breath. “Listen, Simon, in just two years we managed to reduce the toxicity in a centralised city by almost 50%. I spoke to experts from around the world who say they have never seen a policy so effective in such a short time. When I first became mayor, King’s College said it will take 193 years to make our air within legal limits. Now they’re saying you can do it by 2025. So if you’re fatalistic, don’t be. There is something you can do. Here’s the proof.” He doesn’t just want to win a third term as mayor, Khan tells me; he’s hoping for six in total. I assume he’s joking, then realise he’s not. It becomes apparent that this is how long he thinks it will take to revive the city. What would he hope to have achieved by the end of a third term? “By then we’ll have had a Labour government for at least three years, so we’re going to see even more progress on fixing the housing crisis, the air quality, and you’ll have started to see the fruits of the reformed police service and fire service, and more jobs created in London.” And at the end of the sixth term? “You’ll see a London that can have our children feeling they have a future rather than being worried about what the future holds.” As he says, he’s always been an optimist. Local campaigners have gone to some effort to refute the claims of this passage line by line. It is difficult to imagine Khan writing this in twenty years’ time as part of an honest appraisal of his legacy. Latest issue out now!

It wasn’t until I was elected mayor of London in May 2016 that I learned of Ella’s case. Soon after, I met professor Stephen Holgate, an expert on air pollution and asthma. He identified the “striking association” between Ella’s hospital admissions and the most dangerous episodes of air pollution around her home, and concluded that Ella’s death certificate should reflect air pollution as a causative factor. He said there was a “real prospect that without unlawful levels of air pollution, Ella would not have died”. We're calling it a health crisis not only because it's a fact, but it's also a tactic. Because an environmental crisis gives the impression of altruism - “tomorrow”, “then”, “nice to have”. A health crisis is “me”, “us”, “now”.The rest of the chapters adhere to their topics a little bit more faithfully, but are all told through the narrow lens of Khan’s own experience in office. The result is a book that is neither a cerebral exploration of the barriers to climate action in politics, nor a proper political memoir. And at the beginning of this year, Londoners were warned to avoid strenuous physical activity for a short period due to “very high” levels of pollution. Mayor Khan believes cities have a pivotal role to play in achieving a green and just recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. He told delegates at COP26: “Our cities can harness the ingenuity of the human spirit to help conquer the threat of global warming. In doing so, we’ll be able to fashion a new world after the pandemic that has as its guiding principles equality, fairness and climate justice.” Sarah Woolnough, CEO at Asthma + Lung UK, said: “The expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is a huge win for everyone’s lungs. Asthma + Lung UK is delighted that the Mayor of London has listened to our campaigners. It is particularly significant for the 360,000* people with a lung condition in outer London who will now be included in the ULEZ. We hope this will lead to fewer premature deaths and fewer hospital admissions linked to air pollution.

Then, aged 43, he was unexpectedly diagnosed with adult-onset asthma – brought on by the polluted London air he had been breathing for decades. Scandalised, Sadiq underwent a political transformation that would see him become one of the most prominent global politicians fighting (and winning) elections on green issues. Since becoming Mayor of London in 2016, he has declared a climate emergency, introduced the world's first Ultra-Low Emission Zone, and turned London into the first-ever 'National Park City'. The legacy project – named First Breath for Our Future Ancestor - will be installed in Mountsfield Park, Lewisham and include an air quality sensor to help local residents monitor the air they breathe. You say that you only became aware of air pollution and its effects aged 43, so why don't we talk about it more?Councillor Manuel Abellan, Chair of the Environment & Sustainable Transport Committee at Sutton Council, said: “Access to more accurate real time data will provide insights of overall air quality and congestion levels in the borough, and help build clear a picture of the environment and health of our schools and communities. Mayor Khan introduced the world’s first Ultra Low Emission Zone, which has helped cut toxic roadside nitrogen dioxide pollution by nearly half in central London at the same time as helping to reduce carbon emissions. The Mayor has also: planted 350,000 trees since 2016; introduced over 500 electric buses; committed to making London a net zero carbon city by 2030, faster than any comparable city; and developed a climate action plan that is compatible with the highest ambition of the Paris Agreement. Actually, it's an “us” issue and it's a “now” issue, and I think people need to recognise that. No matter which part of the country you're in or where you live, you're affected by climate change and air pollution. It's leading to not just around 4,000 premature deaths in London, but tens of thousands of premature deaths around the country, children with stunted lungs forever and adults with a whole host of health issues. Editorial director Rowan Borchers said Breathe would be “both an intriguing inside account of life in City Hall, and a warm and practical guide to green politics”. Members get the first chance to book our entire programme of events, including go-down-in-history gigs, concerts with world-class orchestras, and talks from cultural icons and political giants.