As the MPs identified by Sadiq Khan (Electing a Muslim mayor would send out message of tolerance, says Khan, 3 July) who met with the then prime minister, Tony Blair, following the shocking 7/7 London attacks, we are extremely troubled by Khan’s evidently self-serving revisionism. Having conferred with Mohammed Sarwar (who is now Pakistan-based), we feel compelled to reveal that Khan’s account is at complete odds with our collective recollection.

He now claims that Blair was somehow accusatory towards Muslims as a whole for 7/7, and that Khan was combative in chastising the prime minister for presuming to call him to Downing Street to somehow take responsibility. Our Downing Street discussions in fact ended with a unanimous agreement on the need for unity in the fight against terror and the crucial role for Muslims.

To misrepresent the words of a British prime minister and to mischaracterise a significant meeting in the wake of the tragic loss of 52 lives a week earlier is frankly beyond the pale, and we write today not to defend Blair but to defend the truth.

Khan’s depiction of his bravado is almost comical, and if the events of 7/7 were not so grave, it would be unworthy of response. But this was a profoundly grave episode in our history, which necessitates challenging those who would seek to exploit it for personal gain.

A Muslim mayor of London would 'send message to the haters', says Sadiq Khan Read more

While we agree with Khan that it would be great to see a Muslim mayor for London – as indeed it would to see a black mayor or woman mayor – above all it would be good to see a mayor who could truly command the trust of Londoners irrespective of their colour, creed, race, or gender.

Khalid Mahmood MP Labour, Birmingham Perry Barr, Shahid Malik Labour MP for Dewsbury and Mirfield, 2005-10

• Sadiq Khan says a Muslim mayor of London would send a message to the haters. It would, but the problem with this sort of message is that the message received is often different from that intended by the sender. People frequently take what they want to hear, not what the sender wants to convey.

I hope that the only effect of the successful candidate’s faith, or other moral framework, on the way they carry out their duties will be to strengthen their resolve to act impartially for the benefit of all citizens of London. I’m sure this would be the case with Sadiq Khan.

Dr Brian Curwain

Christchurch, Dorset