Fact check: Image of Sadiq Khan has been cropped

The picture did not show Mr Khan’s hand, which was doing a thumbs-up.

Thursday 23 January 2025 14:29 GMT

A different image from the same speech shows Mr Khan with his thumb stretched out (Stefan Rousseau/PA) (PA Archive)

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A former Conservative London mayoral candidate has shared an image of London mayor Sadiq Khan with his right arm outstretched.

The post, which appears to be a joke, asked if Mr Khan was “doing a dreadful salute? Or actually is it him acknowledging a crowd”.

Evaluation

Mr Khan was not doing a salute in the photo in question. The image crops out most of his hand. In the original photograph he can be seen giving a thumbs up.

The facts

A reverse image search of the photograph shows that it was taken in 2017 at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton.

The image on social media does not show all of Mr Khan’s hand, which means that viewers cannot see the mayor’s thumb.

In the fuller photo Mr Khan’s thumb is out, and the rest of his fingers are pressed flat against his palm. The fingers are not outstretched as they would be in a Nazi-style salute. Instead Mr Khan is doing a thumbs-up sign, although his thumb is pointed sideways.

The social media post mentions US billionaire Elon Musk, who on Monday January 20 lifted his arm in motion which bore a resemblance to a Nazi salute.

Mr Musk has mocked those who have drawn a link between his action and Nazi salutes.