Sadiq Khan wins record third term as Mayor of London

(Patria) - London Mayor, Labour's Sadiq Khan, won a record third term today after easily defeating challenger Susan Hall, reports RSE.

The son of Pakistani migrants, who became the first Muslim mayor of a Western capital when he was first elected in 2016, is also the first Londoner to secure three terms since the position was established in 2000.

Khan's victory is a new disappointment for the ruling Conservatives in Great Britain, who suffered a series of poor results in local elections held on Thursday, ahead of parliamentary elections expected to be held by January 28 next year.

Khan won just over a million votes, or nearly 44 percent of the vote, more than 11 percentage points ahead of Hall. He performed particularly well in central London, though he had weaker results in several outer boroughs.

Yesterday, speculation emerged that the margin could be smaller than previously thought, but Khan's lead showed a shift in votes from Conservatives to Labour compared to the previous mayoral election in 2021.

Khan, who replaced former Prime Minister Boris Johnson as London Mayor in 2016, has been a divisive figure in recent years.

While his supporters credit him with successes in a range of areas, such as expanding housing, free school meals for young children, keeping transport costs under control, and generally supporting minority groups in London, his critics say there has been a rise in crime, that he is anti-car, and that he unnecessarily allowed pro-Palestinian marches to become regular weekend events in the British capital.