UK: London Mayor Khan wins historic third term

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 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.

With Labour making huge gains, the beleaguered leader’s Conservatives lost crunch mayoral races in Manchester, Liverpool, Yorkshire as well as the capital and elsewhere.

In the West Midlands, Tory incumbent Andy Street — bidding for his own third term — reportedly requested a recount in one district with the contest too close to call.

An unexpected Tory defeat there could leave Sunak with only one notable success: the party’s mayor winning a third term in Tees Valley, northeast England — albeit with a vastly reduced majority.