London mayor Sadiq Khan wins historic 3rd term as Conservatives routed in local polls
- UK prime minister Rishi Sunak’s party finished a humiliating third in local council tallies after losing nearly 500 seats
- The PM conceded that ‘voters are frustrated’, but insisted that rival Labour is not winning in places need for a majority in the coming general election
London’s Labour mayor Sadiq Khan on Saturday secured a record third term, dealing the Conservatives another damaging defeat in their worst local election results in recent memory months before an expected general election.
Khan, 53, easily beat Tory challenger Susan Hall to scupper largely forlorn Tory hopes that they could prise the UK capital away from Labour for the first time since 2016.
The first Muslim mayor of a Western capital when first elected then, he had been widely expected to win as Labour surge nationally and the Conservatives suffer in the polls. In the end, he saw his margin of victory increase compared to the last contest in 2021.
“It’s truly an honour to be re-elected for a third term,” Khan told supporters, accusing his Tory opponent of “fearmongering”.
“We ran a campaign that was in keeping with the spirit and values of this great city, a city that regards our diversity not as a weakness, but as an almighty strength – and one that rejects right hard-wing populism,” he added.
It adds to a dismal set of results for UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, as his Tories finished a humiliating third in local council tallies after losing nearly 500 seats in voting Thursday across England.