I haven't read all of this, but my short answer is yes, I think it does matter.
“Given that Muslims are the minority in any council ward or parliamentary constituency,…”
In many of the wards in London’s Borough of Tower Hamlets the Muslim population is well over 40%. In some (Shadwell, for example) it exceeds 50%. Add to this the fact that in many areas of London people would vote for the Labour candidate even if he or she was a sheep or a dog and it’s easy to see how, in many areas, the huge proportion of the electorate that is Muslim (many of whom will be under orders to vote for Mr Khan as their “religious duty”) will hold sway. You need to have a look round these areas (as I do quite often), Andy, to see what they’re like.
Those who believe that Islamification of the UK is not under way need to have a good look round the country. At present the areas where it is very much complete are small in number. They will get larger as the Muslim population growth outstrips that of other religions. (The population of Tower Hamlets grew by 34% in the last 10 years – twice that of Greater London and four times that of England and Wales).
Mr Khan is almost certain to be elected Mayor of London. This is not necessarily down to the Muslim vote. The 2011 census put the percentage of Muslims in London at around 13%. But Mr Khan is the acceptable face of Islam. For a better idea of the risks that Islamic politicians may bring one really need to look at somebody like Lutfur Rhaman. Mr Rhaman was the elected mayor of Tower Hamlets but was expelled from office after being found guilty of widespread election malpractice. He and his supporters believe he did nothing wrong and to this day believe (surprise, surprise) him to be simply the victim of racism and Islamaphobia. A petition brought before the High Court, however, resulted in slightly different findings:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/judgment.pdf
It’s a long read, but eye-watering if you can manage it. In case you can’t, here’s the concluding paragraphs:
“On past form , it appears inevitable that Mr Rahman will denounce this judgment as yet another example of the racism and Islamophobia that have hounded him throughout his political life. It is nothing of the sort. Mr Rahman has made a successful career by ignoring or flouting the law (as this Petition demonstrates) and has relied on silencing his critics by accusations of racism and Islamophobia. But his critics have not been silenced and neither has this court.
Events of recent months in contexts very different from electoral malpractice have starkly demonstrated what happens when those in authority are afraid to confront wrongdoing for fear of allegations of racism and Islamophobia. Even in the multicultural society which is 21st century Britain, the law must be applied fairly and equally to everyone. Otherwise we are lost”
I’m not saying for one minute that Mr Khan will behave like Mr Rahman. But there are plenty who will. The UK ignores this risk at its peril but this is a distinct possibility. Mr Rahman was not investigated and prosecuted by the authorities, despite many people urging them to do so. It took a special petition from four constituents, who risked considerable sums of their own cash to bring the matter to court.