LONDON, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, seeking a third term in the upcoming May 2024 elections, is reportedly facing challenges due to alterations in the electoral system. According to The Guardian, Khan’s team expressed concerns that despite his comfortable lead in polls over Conservative candidate Susan Hall, the government’s shift from the supplementary vote system to the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system might give Hall a narrow advantage.
In the FPTP system, voters mark a cross for their preferred candidate, and the candidate with the most votes in each constituency is elected. The supplementary vote system, recently replaced by the Electoral Reforms Act 2022, allowed voters to express first and second preferences.
Additionally, the new rules introduce mandatory photo ID for voting. A recent poll commissioned by Khan’s office revealed that while 74% of Londoners are aware of the rules, awareness drops to 53% among younger voters and certain minority ethnic groups.
The latest London mayoral voting intention survey, conducted from October 12-17, indicated Khan leading Hall by 25 points, with 50% to 25% respectively. Khan, a Labour party member, won the mayoral election in 2016, becoming London’s first Muslim and ethnic minority mayor, and was re-elected in 2021.
Mayor Khan criticized the Conservative party for changing the voting system, suggesting it was a deliberate attempt to depress turnout, potentially favoring a hard-right victory. He compared Susan Hall to figures like Donald Trump and Geert Wilders, expressing concern about the rise of the far right in European elections.
Hall, a controversial figure and a vocal supporter of Trump and Brexit, has been accused of promoting divisive and racist content on social media. Her retweet of a message referring to Khan as the “nipple height mayor of Londonistan” drew criticism as Londonistan is a term used by the far right to propagate Islamophobia.
“This year will be a year of decision… the mayoral election will likely be the first test of whether the extreme right can be held back,” said Mayor Khan.
