Sadiq Khan wins historic third term as Mayor of London, confirming Labor’s run of good results

Labor Sadiq Khan secured a third term as Mayor of London, defeating Conservative opponent Susan Hall, in a historic victory, as the British capital has never been led by the same person for three consecutive terms. And the majority wasn’t even short: Khan received 1,088,000 votes (43.7%), a difference of more than a quarter of a million votes to Hall’s 812,000 votes (32.6%).

At a time when pro-Palestine protests, an almost weekly occurrence in the British capital, have been the target of great criticism from conservatives, and adding to this point of upheaval the stubborn prevalence of knife crime figures, analysts do not They expected such a large victory from Khan, there was even talk of a last-minute turnaround for the conservatives. But Khan, 53, has widened his margin with the Conservatives in almost every ward, such as detail the maps from “The Telegraph”.

The campaign was not fought on friendly soil. khan he said that Hall was the “most dangerous person” he had ever fought against politically, due to the conservative’s publications on social media, which Khan’s supporters considered extremist and promoting hate. Hall called the comment “outrageous” but said he had “learned from his mistakes” after a Conservative campaign video to demonstrate what they say was Khan’s light hand against criminals was removed from social media for containing images not of violence. In London, but rather a kind of rush or stampede that took place on the New York subway.

Another line that divided the candidates — and currently divides Londoners and those who need or prefer to enter London by car — was the controversial expansion of the ultra-controlled carbon emissions zone (ULEZ) by Khan, who Hall had said he would eliminate. The fee, applied to drivers, aims to reduce vehicle entry into certain areas of London.

Khan had promised to freeze Transport for London (TfL) fares until at least 2025, and build 40,000 new council homes by the end of the decade, as well as more housing stock subject to “rent control”. Hall promised to reform the Metropolitan Police and “control” crime, investing £200 million in police forces.

Left Warnings for Starmer

The Labor Party, led by Keir Starmer, who, unsurprisingly, supported Khan, is on a winning streak that could even continue until the general election, judging by the polls that give the party a majority, although not absolute.

The most left wing of Labor did not miss the opportunity to point out to Starmer that Khan’s “bold” policies are the most direct path to good electoral results, a clear criticism of Starmer’s more centrist position. “Sadiq’s victory demonstrates that Labour’s bold policies are an electoral asset, not a hindrance. Furthermore, his principled support for Gaza and his call for a halt to arms sales to Israel were clearly significant. Amid the Labor Party’s losses in other urban areas, Starmer’s leadership should take note of Khan’s work, said the group Momentum, which represents this more left-wing faction, quoted by “Sky News”.

Khan himself said he was “deeply grateful” to Londoners and promised that he will serve “all inhabitants”. “This is the first time in the history of London City Council that a sitting candidate has increased his margin of victory and it is the largest margin of victory ever in an election for mayor. It is a vote in favor of building more houses for social housing, a vote for the distribution of free school meals and for a greener London”, said the mayor, a practicing Muslim.

Local elections hit conservatives

This result comes at the end of a tough week for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s conservatives, who were defeated in the local elections.

The party lost more than 470 councilors, just under half of the seats it defended. In total, the party elected just 508 local seats in these elections, less than the 520 seats won by the Liberal Democrats.

The Conservatives lost control of 10 councils, including Basildon, in Essex, which gained iconic status for the Conservatives during Margaret Thatcher’s tenure, when the Conservatives managed to win this area, previously considered deeply Labor.

Labor can now consider themselves winners, especially after having won Blackpool South with a difference of 26%, this in a mid-term election, counting for parliamentary seats, not local ones. “This is effectively the last stop on the journey to the general election and I am delighted to be able to show that we are making progress, that we have gained the trust of voters and that we are moving towards that general election,” Starmer said.

Contrary to what appears to have happened in London, where the Muslim vote possibly went almost entirely to Sadiq Khan due to his stance of accepting pro-Palestinian protests, Labor lost some confidence among Muslim voters in other constituencies. In 58 locations analyzed by the BBCwhere more than 1 in 5 voters say they identify as Muslim, Khan and Starmer’s party was 21% lower than in 2021, the last time there were widespread local elections (in the United Kingdom local elections are not all necessarily held at the same time).