Sadiq Khan makes history

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer had signalled he was confident of Mr Khan’s victory before declarations commenced, as he counted mayoral victories for his party in Liverpool, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and in Greater Manchester, where Andy Burnham returned to power.

Murmurs on Friday evening suggested the result may have been closer than initially thought, as Mr Khan’s majority was expected to be hit by dissatisfaction with the Ulez low-pollution scheme and the Labour party’s stance on Gaza.

Yet Mr Khan has achieved a higher majority than in 2021, equating to a 3.2 per cent swing from Conservative to Labour.

Allegations of Islamophobia

The Tory candidate’s campaign has also been mired in controversy amid allegations of Islamophobia.

Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, sparked controversy when he expressed that a victory for Ms. Hall and the Conservatives would be a triumph for racists, white supremacists, and Islamophobes globally.

Mr Streeting was referring to Ms Hall joining a Facebook group that contained Islamophobic hate speech and abusive comments about her opponent.

Mr Khan was met with some boos as he took to the stage after his re-election was announced.

Speaking in his victory speech at City Hall, Mr Khan said: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Thank you, London.”

At that point, the first British candidate interrupted and chanted “Khan killed London,” but Sadiq Khan made history with a third term as London Mayor.

Mr. Khan’s victory speech continued: “We faced a campaign of non-stop negativity.” “But I couldn’t be more proud that we answered with facts.” “We answered fearmongering with hope.” “And we answered attempts to divide with efforts to unite.”

We ran a campaign that aligned with the spirit and values of this city. This city values its diversity as a strength, not a weakness. We reject right-wing populism in our campaign. Our focus was on looking forward, not dwelling on the past.

I am deeply honored to be re-elected for a third term. Londoners have shown their strong support with a record level of votes, and I am grateful for the increased margin of victory.

Labor incumbent

The Labour incumbent thanked his family for their support but apologised for them facing “protests by our home” and “threats” after securing a third term as Mayor of London.

“Some of the stuff on social media, the protests by our home, the threats. It’s upsetting, it’s frightening and it’s wrong. “I’m truly sorry for putting you through this,” he added.

“But I also know that you share my belief that, as hard as it can be sometimes, this work is worth doing because it means being able to give to other families the same life-changing opportunities that this wonderful city has extended to us. I love you all so much.”

He ended by asking Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to call a general election.

“For the last eight years, London has been swimming against the tide of a Tory government, and now, with a Labour Party that’s ready to govern again under Keir Starmer, it’s time for Rishi Sunak to give the public a choice,” he said. “A general election will not just pave the path to a new direction for our country, but it will make bold action Londoners want to see a reality.”

Susan Hall

The Conservative Party’s Susan Hall spoke after Mr. Khan, saying he should stop “patronising” people who care about London.

“I’d like to congratulate all my fellow mayoral candidates and congratulate Sadiq on his victory,” she said.

“Spending a year campaigning for this election has been an honour and a privilege. I have loved speaking to Londoners about the things that matter to them.

“The thing that matters most, and to me, is reforming the Met and making London safe again. I hope Sadiq makes this his top priority.

He acknowledges a debt to the families of thousands of people. Thousands of people have lost their lives due to knife crime during his mayoralty.

“And I hope too that he stops patronising people, like me, who care. This isn’t an episode of The Wire; this is real life on his watch.”

Rishi Sunak suffered a terrible first day of council election results. The prime minister nervously waits on the result of the West Midlands mayoral contest.

Yet, despite the disappointing results, plans for a coup have failed to materialize. One senior MP told The Independent: “I think it’s over.” Rishi will lead us into the next election.”

Election expert Sir John Curtice suggested the final outcome could be the party’s worst performance for 40 years.

Lord Ben Houchen secured another term on Teesside.This was a source of comfort for the Conservatives on a dreadful night. The general election was only a few months away.

Attention now turns to the mayoral contest in the West Midlands. A win for Tory Andy Street in the mayoral contest could help prevent a leadership plot by rebel MPs.