3 weeks ago
Sadiq Khan, nan Labour Party's politician of London, romped to triumph Saturday, securing a grounds 3rd consecutive word astatine City Hall, connected different hugely disappointing time for nan U.K.'s governing Conservatives up of a looming wide election.
Khan won a small complete a cardinal votes, aliases astir 44% of nan vote, much than 11 percent points up of his main challenger, nan Conservative Party's Susan Hall. He did peculiarly good successful soul London but struggled successful respective outer boroughs.
There had been frenzied speculation connected Friday that nan consequence would beryllium person than antecedently thought, but Khan's lead showed a plaything from Conservative to Labour erstwhile compared pinch nan erstwhile mayoral predetermination successful 2021.
Khan, who replaced Boris Johnson arsenic London politician successful 2016, has been an progressively divisive fig successful nan past fewer years.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan speaks astatine a argumentation motorboat astir homelessness and lodging during his run to re-elected arsenic Mayor of London successful London, Monday, April 15, 2024.
Alastair Grant / AP
While his supporters opportunity he has aggregate achievements to his name, specified arsenic expanding housebuilding, free schoolhouse meals for young children, keeping carrier costs successful cheque and mostly backing London's number groups, his critics opportunity he has overseen a crime surge, been anti-car and has unnecessarily allowed pro-Palestinian marches to go a regular characteristic astatine weekends.
"Sadiq Khan was perfectly nan correct candidate," said Labour leader Keir Starmer. "He has sewage 2 position of transportation down him and I americium assured that he has sewage different word of transportation successful beforehand of him."
The incumbent Labour mayors successful Liverpool, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire were besides reelected Saturday, while nan statement looks to person ousted nan Conservative politician successful West Midlands. A recount is underway there.
The latest successes travel a time aft Labour seized power of councils crossed England that it hasn't held for decades. The statement was besides successful successful a typical predetermination for a spot successful Parliament, that if translated to a wide predetermination would lead to 1 of nan Conservatives' biggest-ever defeats.
Though nan Conservatives suffered a drubbing successful nan section elections, it looks arsenic though Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will not look a further rebellion among his ranks.
Sunak was capable to respire a sigh of alleviation erstwhile nan Conservative politician of Tees Valley successful nan northeast of England was reelected, albeit pinch a depressed stock of nan vote. Sunak had hoped that Andy Street would clasp connected successful nan West Midlands but it appears he whitethorn person lost.
One antagonistic for Labour was that its ballot successful powerfully Muslim areas successful England was depressed by guidance to nan statement leadership's powerfully pro-Israel stance complete nan warfare successful Gaza.
Starmer conceded that nan statement has had issues pinch Muslim voters, but nan results successful wide were affirmative for nan man who is favourite to go premier curate astatine nan adjacent wide election.
Sunak has nan powerfulness to determine connected nan day of nan adjacent election, and has indicated that it will beryllium successful nan 2nd half of 2024. Starmer urged him not to wait.
"We're fed up pinch your division, pinch your chaos, pinch your failure," he said Saturday. "If you time off your state successful a worse authorities than erstwhile you recovered it, 14 years later, you do not merit to beryllium successful authorities a infinitesimal longer."
Thursday's elections successful ample parts of England were important successful themselves, pinch voters deciding connected who runs galore aspects of their regular lives, specified arsenic garbage collection, roadworthy attraction and section crime prevention. But pinch a nationalist predetermination looming, they are being viewed done a nationalist prism.
John Curtice, professor of authorities astatine nan University of Strathclyde, said nan results show that Sunak has not helped nan Conservative marque pursuing nan harm accrued by nan actions of his predecessors, Boris Johnson and past Liz Truss.
"That successful a consciousness is nan large takeaway," he told BBC radio.
Sunak became premier curate successful October 2022, aft Truss's short-lived tenure. She near agency aft 49 days pursuing a fund of unfunded taxation cuts that roiled financial markets and sent borrowing costs for homeowners surging.
Her chaotic — and traumatic — activity compounded nan Conservatives' difficulties pursuing nan circus surrounding her predecessor Johnson, who was forced to discontinue aft being adjudged to person lied to Parliament complete coronavirus lockdown breaches astatine his offices successful Downing Street.
By precocious day Saturday, pinch astir of nan 2,661 seats up for grabs successful nan section elections counted, nan Conservatives had mislaid astir a half of nan 1,000 seats they were defending, while Labour had picked up astir 200 contempt immoderate seemingly Gaza-related losses.
Other parties, specified arsenic nan centrist Liberal Democrats and nan Greens, besides made gains. Reform U.K., which is trying to usurp nan Conservatives from nan right, besides had immoderate successes, notably successful nan typical parliamentary predetermination successful Blackpool South, wherever it was little than 200 votes from grabbing 2nd place.
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