Will Sadiq Khan win? London mayoral election 'going to be close' admits Labour

  • Labour's Ben Coleman, Deputy Leader of Hammersmith Council, said the mayoral election had been a 'tough fight' and nothing was guaranteed.

Sadiq Khan is facing the prospect of a greatly reduced majority after election turnout figures revealed a surge in votes in Conservative strongholds.

Khan was hoping for a convincing win in the London mayoral contest after opinion polls gave him a commanding lead throughout the campaign.

But Labour officials admitted: "It's going to be close" as voting figures showed a clear split between inner and outer London boroughs.

However, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer brushed off concerns about Sadiq Khan’s fortunes in the ballot, saying: "Sadiq Khan was absolutely the right candidate. He has got two terms of delivery behind him and I am confident that he has got another term of delivery in front of him."

Vote counting is due to begin at 9am on Saturday with the result expected to be declared during the afternoon.

A Labour source told ITV News London "we’re not panicking" as counting got underway.

Conservative challenger Susan Hall pinned her hopes on an anti-ULEZ backlash in outer London following the mayor's controversial extension to the clean air zone in August.

She also accused Khan of planning a pay-per-mile road charging scheme, despite his denials.

Figures revealed a higher turnout than the London-wide average of 40.5% in several outer London boroughs which make up the capital's municipal 'doughnut'.

The turnout in Bexley and Bromley was 48%, and 45% in the South West boroughs of Hounslow, Kingston and Richmond.

The lowest turnout of 31% was in the traditional Labour strongholds of Newham, Tower Hamlets and Barking & Dagenham.

The turnout figures were enough to make Khan's campaign team nervous, although most political commentators expect him to be returned to City Hall for a historic third term.

Local Elections 2024: Results in the ITV News London region

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