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Sadiq Khan has said he was not accusing the Scottish National Party of racism after comments he made about nationalism sparked a fierce row.

The Mayor of London has tried to calm the outrage ignited by his claim there is “no difference” between nationalists and people who “divide us on the basis of our background, race or religion”.

His comments, published in a trail of his speech to the Scottish Labour conference in Perth, were branded “spectacularly ill-judged” by Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

But the London mayor has since insisted he was "not saying that nationalists are somehow racist or bigoted".

Shortly before delivering his speech to the Scottish Labour conference on Saturday, Mr Khan told the BBC: “"Of course I am not saying that the SNP are racists or bigots.

"What I am saying is that the world is increasingly divided by Brexit result and the election of President Trump, with the rise of populist and narrow nationalist parties across the world, now is the time to come together, now is the time for unity, not a time for division or isolation."

SNP leader Mrs Sturgeon had taken to social media to say although she was a "big admirer" of the London mayor, "today's intervention is spectacularly ill-judged".