Sir Sadiq Khan has given his strongest hint yet that he will stand for a fourth term to be Mayor of London.
He said he had “already worked out” his campaign for the next contest for City Hall in 2028.
“Once the election begins, we know who the candidates are, I will have a strategy to deal with both Count Binface and Reform,” he told The London Standard in a video interview on Friday in Deptford.
In an LBC podcast that was recorded earlier this week and released on Friday, Sir Sadiq ruled out seeking to be an MP again.
He told LBC’s James O’Brien: “I don't want to be a Member of Parliament again. I've done that. I was a Member of Parliament for 11 years.”
Asked what this meant for his future as London mayor, Sir Sadiq, who hinted last year that he wanted to remain in power at City Hall until 2032, told The Standard: “I’ve got the best job in politics.
“I’m thoroughly enjoying being the Mayor because I can deliver on the London promise...that you work hard, you get a helping hand, you can achieve anything.
“My job is to be that helping hand.”
He continued: “I’ve worked really hard to make the city fairer, greener, safer, more prosperous and healthy.
“As long as I can deliver, I will carry on doing so.”
Pressed whether he was ruling out going for a fourth term in 2028, he explained: “The key thing was to rule out I do not want to be the leader of the Labour Party or the Prime Minister..or...to do so saying I want to be an MP again.”
Asked if he would relish taking on Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, with its London mayoral candidate Laila Cunningham, he stressed: “I relish campaigns.”
Signalling he had been thinking about how to defeat Reform in the capital, he added: “I have already worked out the ‘28 campaign.”
In a side-swipe at Ms Cunningham and the controversy that has followed her appointment, he said: “The problem is, I don’t know if the Reform candidate will still be the candidate in 2028.
“So, I don’t want to have a campaign for a candidate that may not be the candidate in 2028.
“Once the election begins, we know who the candidates are, I will have a strategy to deal with both Count Binface and Reform.”
Former Tooting MP Sir Sadiq clearly has his supporters in London, but also his critics, particularly in Outer London over the Ulez ultra-low emission zone clean air scheme.
But he may also be tempted to go for another four years in City Hall after a poll of Labour members found he was the most popular metropolitan mayor in England.
He will also be desperately keen to protect his legacy after 12 years in power, from helping to clean up London’s air to opening the Elizabeth line and delivering free school lunches for every State primary school pupil in the capital.
Alternatively, Sir Sadiq could decide that three terms is enough. especially in terms of the disruption it causes to his family life, and seek a job in an international or other organisation.
Sir Sadiq’s stance on ruling out a Commons comeback contrasts with that of Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham who was blocked by Labour chiefs from being the party’s candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election.
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK could win the by-election on February 26 if the Left-leaning vote splits between Labour and the Greens, according to Rob Ford, Professor of Political Science at Manchester University.
Sir Sadiq is significantly more popular than Mr Burnham among Labour members, according to a new Survation survey for LabourList.
The London Mayor has a favourability rating of +74, compared to the Greater Manchester Mayor on +39.
West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin and Metro Mayor for the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram were on +56 and +44 respectively.
Emma Burnell, editor of LabourList, said: “These ratings, which come from member across the country, is not a reflection of how these politicians are delivering locally but on their national profile.
“As such, Sadiq Khan has one of the biggest stages in the country as mayor of the capital and has used that to both deliver for Londoners but also raise national and international issues of importance to Labour members.”
Damian Lyons Lowe, chief executive of Survation, added: “Sadiq Khan, free from the constraints of Cabinet collective responsibility, has managed to stay on the right side of the policy positions held by most Labour members.
“By taking a more pro-EU line, pushing for rent-control powers, and publicly urging a rethink of proposed welfare cuts, London’s Mayor has tacked close to classic Labour values, music to the ears of Labour members distraught by the Government’s direction since taking office.”
Labour, though, has slumped in the polls, including to a record low in London
Mr Farage has set his party the target of winning councils in the capital for the first time.
Ms Cunningham is also seeking to turn the May borough elections into what she calls “the first referendum on Sadiq Khan’s London,” even though he has already won three terms in office.
A spokesman for the Mayor said: “Sadiq has not yet announced whether he is standing again for Mayor.
“This is the same as previous elections, where he announced his decision much later in the electoral cycle.”
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