Sadiq Khan. Photo: Collected
Sadiq Khan, the Labour Party's mayor of London, romped to victory Saturday (4 May), securing a record third straight term at City Hall, on another hugely disappointing day for the U.K.'s governing Conservatives ahead of a looming general election.
Khan won a little over a million votes, or nearly 44% of the vote, more than 11 percentage points ahead of his main challenger, the Conservative Party's Susan Hall. He did particularly well in inner London but struggled in several outer boroughs.
There had been frenzied speculation on Friday that the result would be closer than previously thought, but Khan's lead showed a swing from Conservative to Labour when compared with the previous mayoral election in 2021.
Khan, who replaced Boris Johnson as London mayor in 2016, has been an increasingly divisive figure in the past few years.
While his supporters say he has multiple achievements to his name, such as expanding housebuilding, free school meals for young children, keeping transport costs in check and generally backing London’s minority groups, his critics say he has overseen a crime surge, been anti-car and has unnecessarily allowed pro Palestinian marches to become a regular feature at weekends.
“Sadiq Khan was absolutely the right candidate," said Labour leader Keir Starmer. "He has got two terms of delivery behind him and I am confident that he has got another term of delivery in front of him.”
The incumbent Labour mayors in Liverpool, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire were also reelected Saturday, while the party looks to have ousted the Conservative mayor in West Midlands. A recount is underway there.
The latest successes come a day after Labour seized control of councils across England that it hasn’t held for decades. The party was also successful in a special election for a seat in Parliament, that if translated to a general election would lead to one of the Conservatives' biggest-ever defeats.
Though the Conservatives suffered a drubbing in the local elections, it looks as though Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will not face a further rebellion among his ranks.
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