I’ve apologised to my son, Thomas, for being absent for quite a lot of his first few years, but, as a working mother and breadwinner, I kind of had to be. I like to think I’ve made up for it.
Who most deserves an apology from you, and why?
Question
How close have you come to death?
Death & what remains
Question
Which living person do you most admire, and why?
Values & belief
Question
What has been your biggest disappointment?
Failure & regret
Question
What would you like to be remembered for?
Death & what remains
Question
If you could edit your past, what would you change?
Failure & regret
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
A fixed Guardian Q&A prompt asked directly across respondents and years.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
To my wife Saadiya, for interrupting too many evenings, weekends and family holidays with work.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 24 September 2016 source ↗
Others on this question
View all 210 →
Ronnie Wood
English rock musician
I don’t really owe anybody any apologies.
Gloria Steinem
Writer and feminist organiser
I behaved badly with two old lovers. Years later, when I took one to lunch to apologise, it made it worse.
Jake Shears
Singer and songwriter; co-lead vocalist of Scissor Sisters
To the Scissor Sisters. Back in the day, I could be an absolute monster; I was a real asshole.
More from Sadiq Khan
View profile →When I was a kid in Tooting, our house caught fire. We didn’t realise until the fire brigade turned up.
Mo Farah represents everything that’s great about our country.
Labour losing the 2015 election: we weren’t able to help the people who needed us most.
As a mayor who made London better for all Londoners, and as a good husband and dad.
I would have had more time with my dad before he passed away.
More on failure & regret
- What has been your biggest disappointment? 372 answers
- If you could edit your past, what would you change? 209 answers
- What is the worst thing anyone has said to you? 127 answers
- Which moment embarrassed you most? 126 answers
- How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a favourite failure? 81 answers
- What is the hardest thing that has happened to you, and what did you carry out of it? 41 answers
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