Sadiq Khan remains on course to become the first London mayor to win three successive terms of office, a new poll has revealed.
The Labour mayor is backed by 44 per cent of respondents to a Survation poll for ITV News, London – with his Tory rival Susan Hall on 26 per cent.
With the May 2 polling day just a month away, the results are broadly similar to previous polls by Savanta and YouGov that have been published in the Evening Standard.
However the Survation poll results came as Mr Khan again insisted that the election result “will be close” between himself and Ms Hall.
According to the poll of 1,019 Londoners, Ms Hall is 18 points behind Mr Khan.
The Liberal Democrats’ Rob Blackie, and Zoe Garbett, the Green Party candidate, are level on seven per cent. Reform UK’s Howard Cox was on five per cent.
Mr Khan fears that voter apathy – especially among any of his supporters expecting a landslide – coupled with a change in the voting system to first past the post, and the need for voters to show ID at polling stations, could work against him securing an unprecedented third term.
The Survation poll found Mr Khan to be more popular among all London voters, except those aged 65-plus, where she had a massive 30-point lead.
This will give Ms Hall some degree of encouragement as older Londoners tend to me more likely to vote.
Both she and Mr Khan had small positive approval ratings – her five per cent, him four per cent.
She also outperformed her national party – the race for City Hall is tighter than the race for Number 10, as Labour was predicted to pick up 52 per cent of the capital’s votes in a General Election, compared with 21 per cent for the Tories.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s personal approval rating stands at -19 per cent, with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer on +10 per cent.
Londoners who were surveyed by Survation said cost of living was their main issue in the mayoral election (63 per cent), followed by health and crime, both on 38 per cent, though health is not an area of influence for the mayor.
Last month the Savanta poll for the Centre for London put Mr Khan on 51 per cent and Ms Hall on 27 per cent.
Prior to this, a YouGov poll for Queen Mary, University of London put Mr Khan on 49 per cent and Ms Hall on 24 per cent.
