Labour's Sadiq Khan Has Been Re-Elected As Mayor Of London
2 min read
Sadiq Khan has been re-elected for the second time as Mayor of London, after a closer than expected race against Conservative candidate Shaun Bailey.
After the first preference votes were counted the gap between Khan and Conservative candidate Shaun Bailey was far narrower than polls predicted, and at points during the count they looked neck and neck.
Khan won with 1,206,034 votes after second preferences were counted, compared to Bailey's 977, 601 votes.
The percentages after second preference votes are 55.18% to Khan and 44.72% to Bailey.
The former Labour MP, who has led London since 2016, said he was deeply humbled by the trust Londoners had placed in him to build a better future for London after the "dark days" of the pandemic.
He also made a comment on the national political scene, adding: "The results of the elections around the UK show that our country, and even or city, remain deeply divided. The scars of Brexit are yet to heal. A crude culture war is pushing us further apart."
He said he was a Londoner, and a patriotic Brit and his aim would be to "build bridges" between London and the rest of the country so it plays its part in a national recovery from the pandemic.
Building bridges with national government was also important, he said.
First preference votes were 1,013,721 for Khan (40 percent), 839,051 for Bailey (35.3 percent) and 197,976 (7.8 percent) for Green Party candidate Sian Berry.
Actor and singer Lawrence Fox took 47,634 first preference votes, and Count Binface took 24,775.
Second preference votes for Khan were 192,313 for Khan and 84,550 for Bailey.
In 2016 Khan won after second preference votes were counted, with 56.8 percent of the vote, compared to Conservative Zac Goldsmith on 43.2 percent. The Green's Sian Berry won 5.8 percent on first preference votes, and was then eliminated.
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