So, now what? Votes for London's mayor were counted yesterday, and Sadiq Khan came out on top against Susan Hall by attaining more than one million votes. Mr Khan received almost 43.7 per cent of the vote, compared to Hall’s 32.6 per cent. This represents a swing of 2.5 per cent from the Tories to Labour compared with 2021.
But, to ensure he won, Mr Khan made many promises to Londoners. Before voters went to the polls in London, the mayor issued what he called a 'contract with Londoners'. It listed his main promises.
READ MORE: How Sadiq Khan came out on top
These were:
- Make free school meals permanent in London
- Keep TfL fares frozen until at least 2025
- Never introduce a pay-per-mile road charging scheme in London
- End rough sleeping by 2030 with support from a Labour Government
- Build 40,000 new council homes by 2030 and build new 'rent control' homes
- Put 1,300 more police on the streets, and fund more youth clubs with £30 million investment
- Provide record investment to tackle violence against women and girls, and deliver free legal support for victims
- Continue world-leading climate action with a fully zero-emission bus fleet by 2030
- Clean up the Thames, with a plan to make it swimmable within 10 years
- Provide free skills training for any unemployed or low-income Londoner, and create 150,000+ new good jobs by 2028
Mr Khan said the day before the vote: "These are the promises by which Londoners should judge me over the next four years. My pledge to Londoners is to get on with the job of building a fairer, safer and greener city for every Londoner – making free school meals permanent, delivering a TfL fares freeze, investing record amounts in the causes of crime, and building more councils homes all across our city."
Other promises include London bus and Tube changes
Some commitments were not included on the list. A pledge to introduce the 'Superloop 2' network of express London bus services, for example. The mayor also said he would bring London buses into public ownership and away from private operators.
In addition, MyLondon was told, after Susan Hall promised to extend the Night Tube to the Hammersmith and City, Circle, District and Metropolitan London Underground lines, that Mr Khan 'wants to do this'.
A spokesperson for the mayor added: "And if re-elected will work to secure the funding for expanding the Night Tube to these four lines. You can trust Sadiq to deliver - he got the Night Tube open when Boris Johnson couldn’t, as well as delivering the Elizabeth line and Northern line extension."
Further, Mr Khan also said he would bring suburban London railway services under TfL's control, creating a 'revolutionary metro-style' system. The mayor added he would work with an incoming Labour government, were the British public to elect one to 'end the misery of failing outer London suburban rail services' if he is re-elected.
The first lines brought under TfL control could include:
- Suburban Southeastern services linking Victoria, Charing Cross and Cannon Street with Dartford, Hayes and Sevenoaks
- Great Northern services connecting Moorgate with Welwyn Garden City, Hertford and Stevenage
It is important to note a couple of things. Firstly, Mr Khan only has a mandate to serve until 2028. So, he may not be mayor in 2030, the deadline for crucial pledges, such as those regarding house building and ending rough sleeping.
However, he did not rule out a fourth term during an exclusive interview with MyLondon in March, saying that he would be around for as long as Londoners want him.
In addition, Mr Khan said that to achieve his aims, he would be working with a Labour government. This, of course, would require Sir Keir Starmer to lead the party to a majority in Parliament at the next general election, expected later this year.
The latest YouGov and The Times voting intention poll put the Conservatives on 18 per cent and Labour are on 44 per cent between April 30 and May 1.
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