London Mayor Urges Voters to Consider Local Council Records Ahead of May Elections
Sadiq Khan has expressed understanding for why some former Labour supporters are considering voting for other parties in the upcoming elections, but cautioned that they might regret the consequences of having Green or Reform-led councils in their boroughs.
Speaking exclusively to at a youth centre where he announced new funding for youth facilities, the London mayor also advised Labour MPs against contemplating a leadership challenge to Keir Starmer, warning that such internal focus would be negatively received by voters.
On 7 May, elections will be held for all 32 London borough councils alongside other local elections and mayoralties across the UK, as well as elections for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments. Labour is anticipated to perform poorly in many areas.
In London, several Labour councillors in inner boroughs are predicted to lose seats to the Greens or independent candidates, while the Reform party aims to gain ground in the city's outskirts.
Khan on Labour's Challenges and Voter Sentiment
When asked about Labour's potential decline in the capital, Khan emphasized the importance of voting based on the performance of local councils rather than using the elections as a referendum on the national Labour government's shortcomings.
"I can understand why people may lend their vote to somebody else … All I would say, in a respectful way to Londoners flirting with protest is, actually, look at the record of the last 20 months compared to the previous 14 years.
Will you get more delivery locally with a council that believes in protest, one that works with a Labour mayor and Labour government?"
Khan acknowledged that while Starmer and his team have not achieved all the progress Londoners hoped for, there have been advances in areas such as child poverty reduction and renters’ rights.
Comments on International Affairs and US Relations
Khan, who has frequently been targeted by former US President Donald Trump and his supporters and has been a vocal critic in return, addressed recent tensions involving Iran and US policy.
He described the claim that Iran’s "whole civilisation will die" if Tehran does not comply with US demands as "gratuitously offensive." However, he refrained from commenting on Trump's mental fitness to serve as president, stating it was not his place to decide.
He further criticized the rationale behind military actions by the US and Israel in Iran, questioning their objectives and legal justification.
"I’m not sure what the justification for this war in Iran is from either Israel or the United States of America. I’m not sure what their criteria for success is. I’m not sure what the exit strategy is. I’m not sure what the legal basis is," he said.
Khan supported Starmer’s decision to permit UK bases to be used by US forces solely for defensive operations, noting that the prime minister had "learned the right lessons" from the UK's involvement in the Iraq war and its aftermath.
"This prime minister is not getting involved in a war without a legal basis, without an exit strategy. This prime minister is not allowing airports base use for extraordinary rendition. This prime minister is operating within international law, but also being quite clear that we’ve got to be supporting our allies when it comes to defensive manoeuvres," Khan stated.
Advice to Labour MPs on Leadership and Political Focus
Regarding the possibility of Labour MPs mounting a leadership challenge against Starmer if the May elections result in poor outcomes, Khan described the UK political climate as relatively stable compared to countries like the US and France.
"But also it’s worth recognising what’s going on geopolitically, what’s going on in Ukraine, what’s going on in Iran, The idea for us to be perceived as navel gazing or being indulgent, I think, wouldn’t be rewarded by the electorate."
