International

London elections: Sadiq Khan wins second term as mayor

Labour's Sadiq Khan has won a second term as London's mayor, beating Conservative rival Shaun Bailey.

He won 55.2% of the popular vote, after entering a run-off with Mr Bailey when neither managed to secure a majority in the first round of voting, reports BBC.

The former MP became the first Muslim mayor of an EU capital city when he was first elected to the role in 2016.

The Green Party's Sian Berry came third, while the Liberal Democrats' Luisa Porritt was fourth.

The Lib Dems lost their deposit, as Ms Porritt failed to win more than 5% of the vote.

Mr Khan was seen as the favourite throughout the campaign, with some pollsters predicting he would win more than half of the first-round votes.

The 51-year-old failed to reach his record-setting vote total of 2016, but won with a 228,000-vote majority.

Speaking after the results were announced, Mr Khan said: "I will always be a mayor for all Londoners, working to improve the lives of every single person in this city.

"The results of the elections around the UK shows our country, and even our city, remains deeply divided.

"The scars of Brexit have yet to heal. A crude culture war is pushing us further apart.

"Economic inequality is getting worse both within London and in different parts of our country.

"As we seek to confront the enormity of the challenge ahead, and as we endeavour to rebuild from this pandemic, we must use this moment of national recovery to heal those damaging divisions."

Mr Khan's closest rival was Mr Bailey, who received 44.8% of the first and second-round votes.

Mr Bailey increased the Conservative vote share by 1.6%.

He said he had been "written off" by pollsters, journalists and other politicians, adding: "But Londoners didn't write me off."

Mr Bailey congratulated Mr Khan but said he hoped the re-elected mayor would not "blame everything on the government".

During his tenure as mayor, Mr Khan has had run-ins with the government over coronavirus restrictions and Transport for London's finances.

Labour continues its dominance in the capital, remaining the largest party on the London Assembly.

Labour took nine constituency seats, with the Conservatives winning the remaining five.

Membership of the London Assembly is split in two - with those 14 members representing constituencies and the other 11 elected by a party-list system.