Yahoo News London mayoral election results 'will be close' with low turnout potentially hitting Sadiq Khan
London's mayoral election between Sadiq Khan, Susan Hall and other candidates is said to be 'very close' as this year's turnout has been revealed to be lower than in 2021. Votes will be counted and results declared tomorrow.
Londoners voted for their mayor and London Assembly Members on Thursday, May 2. But London Elects has this afternoon released the turnout figure after verification of the number of ballot papers was carried out today.
The London-wide voter turnout this year was 40.5 per cent– down 1.5 percentage points on 2021.
READ MORE: Londoners in Tory seats told to 'hold their nerve' ahead of general election
MyLondon understands that Labour believes that tomorrow's result is going to be 'very close'. Mr Khan's team is also concerned about the less than 5 percentage point gap between Mr Khan and the then-Tory candidate, Shaun Bailey, in 2021.
In addition, the party's thinking is that voter ID regulations - which mean voters had to bring an acceptable form of documentation with them to polling stations or be turned away - makes it 'easier for Tories to win'. It is also understood that the mayor's team believes encouraging polling - which put Mr Khan between 10 and more than 20 percentage points ahead of his Conservative rival - were 'way out'.
The Tories have been accused of 'rigging' the system to make it 'easier for them to win' by bringing in voter ID and first past the post (whereby Londoners get one vote instead of a second preference) and 'fought a dirty campaign'.
MyLondon understands that the Conservatives' view on these allegations is: "Is Donald Trump doing the briefing for Sadiq?"
Full turnout figures in London
Constituencies | Electorate | Verification totals | Turnout (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
Barnet and Camden | 413,809 | 163,830 | 39.59% |
Bexley and Bromley | 421,800 | 204,058 | 48.38% |
Brent and Harrow | 428,775 | 159,033 | 37.09% |
City and East (Barking and Dagenham, City of London, Newham, Tower Hamlets) | 628,856 | 195,989 | 31.17% |
Croydon and Sutton | 440,715 | 186,271 | 42.27% |
Ealing and Hillingdon | 453,892 | 195,095 | 42.98% |
Enfield and Haringey | 399,677 | 165,372 | 41.38% |
Greenwich and Lewisham | 399,703 | 161,183 | 40.33% |
Havering and Redbridge | 402,497 | 172,852 | 42.94% |
Lambeth and Southwark | 448,552 | 175,532 | 39.13% |
Merton and Wandsworth | 384,678 | 176,930 | 45.99% |
North East (Hackney, Islington, Waltham Forest) | 524,885 | 207,722 | 39.57% |
South West (Hounslow, Kingston Upon Thames, Richmond Upon Thames) | 455,381 | 206,109 | 45.26% |
West Central (Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster) | 359,208 | 125,645 | 34.98% |
The Greater London Returning Officer (GLRO) will announce the result of the mayoral election at City Hall tomorrow (Saturday, May 4) once all votes have been counted at the 14 constituencies. Later, the GLRO will announce the allocation of the 11 London-wide Assembly Member seats.
Once the Constituency results have been announced at each venue, the London-wide ballot papers counted, and the calculation made to allocate the 11 seats proportionally to parties or candidates.
Read our exclusive sit-down interview with Sadiq Khan ahead of the London mayoral election here. Read our full chat with Susan Hall here.
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