Conservative Mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith has accused his Labour rival Sadiq Khan of "playing the race card" during an interview on Radio 4's Today Programme.
Before Christmas, Mr Goldsmith said that Mr Khan's politics were "divisive and radical", a comment the Labour candidate described as a "coded racist attack".
Appearing on the Today programme this morning, Mr Goldsmith said: "I think he is playing with fire.
"I don't think there is anything more divisive than playing the race card when clearly, unambiguously, it does not apply."
Mr Goldsmith sought to clarify comments made, saying that Mr Khan was part of a radical process that had "enveloped" the Labour party in recent months.
Some listeners were shocked by his comments
Could @ZacGoldsmith have got the word radical in any more times this morning! & he accuses @SadiqKhan of playing the race card! Please
— sarah guerra (@equalitywarrior) January 5, 2016
wow, did Zac Goldsmith really just play the ‘playing the race card’ card. urgh, nasty.
— Rich Holman (@dogwonder) January 5, 2016
Responding to comments from Zac Goldsmith on this morning’s Today programme, a spokesman for Sadiq Khan said: "It was the Goldsmith campaign which put out the infamous dog-whistle leaflet branding Sadiq as ‘radical’ just because he happens to be a Muslim.
"And it was Goldsmith's campaign which had to launch an investigation after alleged racist remarks from a Tory canvasser to a voter.
"Their campaign is already so desperate that they've resorted to Lynton Crosby's divisive dog-whistling because they simply have no answers to the challenges London faces like fixing the housing crisis and keeping fares down."
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