Sadiq Khan Secures a Historic third term as Mayor of London

Sadiq Khan of the Labour Party has been elected mayor of London for the third time in a row.

Mr Khan, who was initially elected in May 2016, defeated his Conservative competitor Susan Hall by more than 276,000 votes, resulting in a 3.2% swing to Labour.

He gained nine of the fourteen constituencies, including two from the Conservatives.

More than 2.4 million ballots were cast, with a 42.8% turnout – somewhat lower than in the 2021 mayoral election.

The counting began at 9:00 BST on Saturday morning, and all contenders are scheduled to present at City Hall later for an official announcement.

So far, Mr Khan has won in Lambeth & Southwark, Barnet & Camden, City of London & East, Merton & Wandsworth, Greenwich & Lewisham, Enfield & Haringey, and North East, all of which he won at the most recent contest in 2021.

He won West Central from the Conservatives, with a 5.2% swing to Labour, and South West from the Conservatives, with a 2.7% swing.

Ms Hall has represented the outer London boroughs of Havering and Redbridge, Croydon and Sutton, Bexley and Bromley, Ealing and Hillingdon, and Brent and Harrow.

On Thursday, voters also elected a London Assembly constituency member and a London Assembly London-wide member.

Ms Hall has promised to remove the extended Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) that covers outside London and combat violent crime.

She added that there was “a clear choice between being ignored for another four years by Sadiq Khan, or electing a new mayor who listens” .

Mr Khan’s ten core pledges include a one-year freeze on Transport for London (TfL) fares and four years of free school lunches for primary students aged seven to eleven.

Speaking at City Hall ahead of the official results, London Assembly Labour group leader Len Duvall basically called the election for Mr Khan.

Mr Duvall told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I believe the patterns are present. I believe Sadiq has crossed the threshold and secured a third term.”

He says Liberal Democrat and Green supporters appear to have “lent” their support to Mr Khan on the mayoral ballot, while Reform UK received votes from Conservatives.