- In London, Mayor Sadiq Khan has, as expected, secured a third term in office.
- The politician prevailed against his conservative competitor Susan Hall in the local elections in the British capital.
- Voting took place in a third of local authorities in Great Britain.
The 53-year-old received 43.8 percent of the votes, his challenger received 33 percent, as the final results show.
Legend:
Sadiq Khan arrives at City Hall in London for the results announcement.
REUTERS/Toby Melville
Khan has been the first Muslim city leader in the metropolis since 2016. With his re-election, he is the first mayor to secure a third term at the top of the city. During the election campaign, the Social Democrat promised, among other things, to offer free school meals in the future and to freeze local transport prices. His victory was expected despite public anger over rising stabbing crime and the introduction of special zones where drivers of older, more polluting vehicles are charged a daily fee.
Worst result for the Tories in 40 years
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives suffered heavy defeats in this week’s local elections. The party lost half of its seats in local councils and achieved one of its worst results in the last 40 years. There were bitter defeats in strongholds such as Gloucester in the southwest, where the Conservatives had ruled for 20 years, and Thurrock, east of London.
Legend:
Labor leader Starmer is combative in view of the election successes: “We are fed up with your division, your chaos and your failure,” he said on Saturday in the direction of the ruling Tories (Image: 04.05.24)
REUTERS/Craig Brough
The opposition Labor party sees its success story confirmed. Labor, on the other hand, won a parliamentary seat in northern England and control of numerous city councils. In doing so, she was able to increase the pressure on Sunak to bring forward the general election, which was actually expected to take place in the second half of the year. There is currently no specific date for this; the vote must take place by January 2025.
In national polls, Labor is around 20 percentage points ahead of the Tories. The Conservative Party is threatened with an end to government after 14 years.