The representative of the opposition Labor Party in Great Britain Sadiq Khan was re-elected as the mayor of London and will occupy this post for the third time. This is shown by the final results of the regional elections held in England on May 2.
The 53-year-old politician won 43.7% of the vote (1,088,225 votes), the representative of the ruling Conservative Party, Susan Hall, secured the support of 32.6% of Londoners who voted (811,518).
Khan was born in 1970 in Tuking district to a large family of immigrants from Pakistan. He has been mayor since 2016. Khan then became the first Muslim to become mayor of London (as well as the chief executive of any major European capital). Khan is a lawyer by training and specializes in human rights, although he previously studied mathematics and science and dreamed of becoming a dentist. The awakened interest in law changed Khan's educational vector. He graduated for free from the University of North London.
In 2008-2010, Khan held successively the posts of Minister of State for Communities and Minister of State for Transport in the Labor government, becoming the first Muslim in the UK to serve as a Cabinet member.
Hahn's re-election for another four years was no surprise, even despite his unpopular anti-driver policies and limited success in fighting crime.
The position of Mayor of London was created in 2000; no one has previously held this position three times. Ken Livingston led the British capital from 2000 to 2008, Boris Johnson from 2008 to 2016.
Apart from London, Labor managed to retain control of several cities or so-called joint mayoral administrations (they usually control not only one city but also nearby settlements). So they held Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, East Midlands, York and North Yorkshire, Liverpool, South Yorkshire. Conservative candidates managed to win the Thies Juli administration in the north of the country. Ballot processing continues in the West Midlands (including Birmingham, Dudley, Coventry and other cities) and Salford. Overall, the regional election results were devastating for the Conservatives and very successful for Labour.
According to figures after counting votes in 106 out of 107 local authorities in England, the Conservatives have already lost 473 seats in various authorities (municipal, local and regional councils), that is almost half compared to the 2021 elections of the year. The ruling party managed to retain only 513 regional seats. According to this indicator, it is overtaken not only by the opposition Labor Party (1,140 seats, plus 185 mandates), but also by the Liberal Democrat Party. (521 seats, plus 104 mandates). 181 seats came under the control of representatives of the Green Party (plus 74 seats). 285 seats (plus 110) were won by independents and other candidates.
The Conservatives also came third in terms of the total number of councils they fully control - 6, which is 12 fewer than the last election. Labor is in the lead, controlling 49 councils (up 8), with the Lib Dems in second place. - 12 (plus 1).