The Labour Party has won a historic third term in London, thanks to Sadiq Khan’s victory in the by-elections held last Thursday. With 43.7 percent support, Khan defeated his rival from the Conservative Party, Susan Hall, receiving 1,088,225 votes compared to Hall’s 811,518.
Despite the low voter turnout of 40.5 percent, Khan was able to secure his re-election. The results from two remaining districts of London have been made official and confirm the Labour Party’s victory in this election. The Liberal Democratic Party had the second-highest number of elected councilors but ranked third or fourth politically in recent years.
The official partial results show that the Labour Party has secured 1,069 council offices and 49 city councils while the Liberal Democratic Party obtained 519 council offices and 12 city councils. The Conservative Party obtained 498 council offices and six city councils. The Green Party and other independent formations also obtained council seats with only three town councils yet to announce their results.
Labour has won in other areas like West Midlands where Richar Parker defeated Andy Street and Greater Manchester where Andy Burnham secured a third consecutive term in office. These election results are seen as a warning for Conservative MPs signaling a potential shift in power before the general election.
Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour party declared that Conservatives “do not deserve to govern” following their defeat in municipal elections. Starmer believes that Labour’s positive plan for governing the country resonated with voters while the Conservatives failed to address national issues such as poverty and inequality. These election results are seen as a turning point before general elections with more work ahead to secure a future government that will address UK’s pressing issues such as Brexit fallout, economic growth and social equality.