LONDON: Pakistan-origin Briton Sadiq Khan has swept to victory winning the London mayor’s post for a record third time as the election results poured in Labour party’s favour, BBC reported. He has secured a historic third term as the Mayor of London.
Sadiq Khan’s win came as the Labour Party triumphed in the polls, solidifying its dominance in key constituencies.
The final results for the London mayoral constituency of Lambeth & Southwark confirmed Sadiq Khan’s landslide victory, with the incumbent mayor securing 106,861 votes compared to Conservative candidate Susan Hall’s 26,347 votes.
The Labour Party, led by Sir Keir Starmer, celebrated Sadiq Khan’s success and continued to tally gains across various regions. Starmer expressed confidence in Sadiq Khan’s victory even before the official declarations, citing mayoral wins for the party in Liverpool, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, and Greater Manchester, where Andy Burnham reclaimed power.
Throughout the campaign, Sadiq Khan faced criticism for his decision to expand London’s ultra-low emission zone. However, his decisive win reaffirmed his popularity among voters.
In a bold challenge to the Prime Minister, Sir Keir called for an election, emphasizing the need for change after fourteen years of governance. He declared, “If you leave your country in a worse state than when you found it 14 years later, you do not deserve to be in government for a moment longer.”
Sadiq Khan’s victory marked a significant milestone, as the mayoral race adopted a first-past-the-post voting system for the first time. This change required Khan to secure a simple majority of ballots cast, a feat he achieved convincingly.
