London’s mayoral candidates have been out casting their votes at polling stations this morning, in an election Sadiq Khan is being tipped to comfortably win.
The Labour candidate is widely expected to retain the keys to City Hall, though his lead over Conservative rival Shaun Bailey has shrunk in recent days amid fears about the capital’s crime crisis.
Mr Khan, along with wife Saadiya and their dog Luna, were spotted bright and early at their polling station at St Albans Church in south London, ready to put their crosses in the box.
His main rival, Tory Mr Bailey, was also out with wife Ellie at Drapers’ Pyrgo Priory School in Romford, as he hopes to cause an upset.
Liberal Democrat candidate Luisa Porritt cast her vote, as did Laurence Fox of The Reclaim Party, who posed for the cameras with a Churchill salute and his dog, Mrs Thatcher.
Meanwhile, Brian Rose of the London Real Party spent the morning breakdancing on the top of his battle bus.
Sadiq Khan, along with wife Saadiya and their dog Luna, were spotted bright and early at their polling station at St Albans Church in south London, ready to put their crosses in the box
His main rival, Tory Shaun Bailey, was also out with wife Ellie at Drapers’ Pyrgo Priory School in Romford, as he hopes to cause an upset
Laurence Fox, of The Reclaim Party, posed for the cameras with a Churchill salute and his dog, Mrs Thatcher
Brian Rose of the London Real Party spent the morning breakdancing on the top of his battle bus
The other candidates in today’s election are Kamran Balayev of Renew, Sian Berry of the Green Party, Count Binface of Count Binface for Mayor of London, Valerie Brown of The Burning Pink Party, Piers Corbyn of Let London Live, independent Max Fosh, Peter Gammons of UKIP, Richard Hewison of Rejoin EU, Vanessa Hudson of the Animal Welfare Party, Steven Kelleher of the Social Democratic Party, David Kurten of the Heritage Party, independent Farah London, independent Nims Obunge, independent Niko Omilanaand Mandu Reid of the Vote Women’s Equality Party on orange.
The vote comes as Londoners’ fears about the capital’s crime crisis have seen Mr Khan’s lead over Mr Bailey shrink in recent days.
The Labour candidate is set to win a second term – but worries following a spate of knife killings could deprive him of a first round victory in today’s election.
An Opinium survey this week showed 52 per cent of Londoners think tackling knife crime should be the next mayor’s top priority.
The London election has tightened, with a YouGov poll yesterday giving Mr Khan a 12-point lead, based on first preference votes, down from 21 points a month ago. It suggested Mr Khan will win the contest in a second round run-off with Mr Bailey by 59 per cent to 41 per cent.
Knife crime in the capital has increased by more than 60 per cent between May 2016, when Mr Khan took office, and March last year, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Meanwhile, Boris Johnson voted early in the dramatic Super Thursday battle today amid signs he is on course to take a wrecking ball to the Red Wall again.
The PM cast his ballot along with fiancee Carrie Symonds in London as the crucial set of elections got underway.
The Tories have been boosted by the latest poll showing they have a huge 10-percentage point lead – driven by the success of the vaccine rollout.
Liberal Democrat Mayoral candidate Luisa Porritt arrives at the polling station before casting her vote
The Labour candidate is set to win a second term – but worries following a spate of knife killings could deprive him of a first round victory in today’s election
Keir Starmer is braced for a disastrous ‘hat-trick’ of defeats in the Hartlepool by-election, as well as the two key mayoral races in the West Midlands and Tees Valley.
Allies believe a hard-Left challenge is inevitable if the results in his first major electoral test are as bad as feared – but they are also confident he can survive.
Votes will be cast in every part of Great Britain, with the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments, London Assembly, and Hartlepool by-election up for grabs.
More than 5,000 council seats in England will also be contested, along with 13 mayoralties and 39 police and crime commissioner positions.
YouGov’s final poll before the big day found the Tories were on 43 per cent nationally, ahead of Labour on 33 per cent.
The research, conducted over the past two days, found 40 per cent had a favourable view of Mr Johnson, compared to just 31 per cent for Sir Keir Starmer.
