London chooses Sadiq Khan for next Mayor
Labour's Sadiq Khan has won the mayoral race in London
Last updated 9th Jun 2021
Sadiq Khan has won a second term as Mayor of London with 1,013,721 first preference votes, and Conservative candidate Shaun Bailey coming in second with 893,051.
The contest went to second preference votes, with Mr Khan receiving 192,313 of these, and Mr Bailey securing 84,550. This meant that in the run-off, Mr Khan won by 55.2% to Mr Bailey's 44.8%.
"Strain every sinew"
Giving his victory speech, the re-elected Labour mayor said "I promise to strain every sinew to help build a better and brighter future for London after the dark days of the pandemic, and to create a greener, fairer and safer city.
"I want to thank everyone who voted for me, and also want to speak directly to every Londoner who didn't vote for me this week. I'll never ignore your voice, your concerns or your worries."
Mr Khan also gave a nod to the disappointing election results elsewhere in England for Labour.
"The results of the elections around the UK show that our country and even our city remain deeply divided. The scars of Brexit are yet to heal; a crude culture war is pushing us further apart."
"Londoners didn't write me off"
His challenger, Conservative Shaun Bailey, achieved a more respectable second place than expected.
"It's no surprise to me that Londoners didn't write me off," he said in his speech after the result was announced. "When you come from where I've come from and seen the things I've seen, as a poor boy who's been homeless, who's been unemployed, who's been a youth worker in the city, you understand that Londoners are generous of spirit and will give you a hearing."
"I am proud that my campaign was able to shine a light on the things that many Londoners feel they are unheard on - I was glad to shine a light on safety; the fact that many Londoners can't afford a home."
Green candidate Sian Berry came in third with 197,976 first preference votes.
The Greens say this cements their position as London's third party.
Lib Dem Luisa Porritt came in fourth with 111,716 votes, meaning the party lost its deposit.
But she's pleased with the party increasing its representation on the London Assembly.
Former actor Laurence Fox, who founded the Reclaim Party, received 47,634 votes, also losing his deposit.
He had been campaigning to end lockdown restrictions and scrap low traffic neighbourhoods.
Only a little over four out of ten Londoners cast a vote.
What is the Mayor of London responsible for?
The Mayor of London sets the budget and is responsible for making London a better place for everyone who visits, lives or works in the city. The Mayor is elected every four years.
Changing London for the better
The Mayor wants London to be a ’city for all Londoners'.
His work includes:
- making it easier for people to move in and around the city
- improving London's environment
- helping the capital's businesses to thrive
- providing Londoners with more affordable housing
- giving young people in London more opportunities
Setting the vision for London
The Mayor sets an overall vision for London. He has a duty to create plans and policies for the capital covering:
- Arts and Culture
- Business and Economy
- Environment
- Fire
- Health
- Housing and Land
- Planning
- Policing and Crime
- Regeneration
- Sport
- Transport
- Young People
Other priorities for the Mayor include higher education, foreign Investment and attracting events and conferences to London.
Setting budgets to realise his vision
The Mayor’s £17bn annual budget supports investment in public transport, fire services and policing as well as the work of City Hall.
It is financed from a mixture of central government grants, transport fares and other charges, business rates and council tax.
Working in partnership to improve the capital
In line with his commitment to do all he can to improve London, the Mayor invests in and works with many different people and organisations to achieve this aim.
Championing London and Londoners
The Mayor is also the elected voice of the capital and champions London and Londoners at home and abroad.