Sadiq Khan has warned progressive voters that they risk handing the London mayoralty to an “increasingly rightwing” Tory party unless they back Labour, amid concern in his camp that most Londoners are unaware of a complete overhaul of the voting system.
The battle for control of City Hall next May will be the first mayoral contest to switch to the first past the post voting system. It comes after a legal change last year that appears to be largely unknown among the capital’s voters. The previous system allowed voters to pick their second preference.
Only 30% of Londoners are aware of the change, according to a new Opinium poll. It has led to concern in Khan’s team that, despite his large poll lead, Liberal Democrat and Green voters will be unaware that they can no longer back him as their second preference, as many have done in the past.
It also means that a strong challenge from the left could also cut Khan’s support. There have been rumours that Jeremy Corbyn could stand. The former Labour leader said in the summer he will “have a think” about the prospect.
Meanwhile, George Galloway, who in 2005 unseated Bethnal Green and Bow’s Labour MP Oona King during Tony Blair’s leadership with his anti-Iraq war stance, has also signalled he may run.
Galloway has been hugely critical of Keir Starmer’s refusal to back a ceasefire in Gaza. Some Labour insiders fear the party has lost considerable support within the Muslim community as a result of his stance. Khan has himself called for a ceasefire.
Khan will be seeking an unprecedented third term when the election takes place in May. The first past the post system favours bigger parties, but Labour figures are concerned it is designed to boost the chances of the Tory candidate, Susan Hall.
The previous supplementary vote system had been chosen by Londoners in a referendum.
A poll of more than 3,000 Londoners conducted by Opinium in mid-November found that 70% of them said they were not aware of the change to first past the post, with only 30% of those polled saying they were. Among supporters of all the main political parties, a majority of those polled said they were unaware of the changes.
Speaking to the Observer, Khan said he was now making a direct plea to voters of other progressive parties to lend him their vote. “I know many Green and Lib Dems voters who may have voted for their parties as a first preference, but then lent me their second vote to stop the Tories,” he said.
“Well, the Tory government is changing this at the next election. The previous system was good because it widened choice and participation at elections. But because of changes brought in by ministers, the next election in London is set to be a straight fight between Labour and the increasingly rightwing Tories.”
He also called on ministers to publicise the voting change before the poll. “The government have cynically brought in major changes to the way Londoners vote, but they’ve done barely anything to ensure voters know about the changes,” he said. “Ministers and London’s local government should fund a proper awareness campaign to ensure people aren’t disenfranchised and they realise that the way they vote at the ballot box has fundamentally changed.”
Ministers have argued that the change was made because the previous system was “over-complicated and confusing”. The voting system change came in alongside new requirements for voters to show ID at polling stations, which is also causing concerns about turnout and people being turned away from polling stations.
The mayor’s office has warned that, based on its own analysis of the electoral roll, there are 902,000 Londoners who may not have the right documents.
Khan has faced criticism from the Tories over his ultra-low emission zone policy, which is likely to be the focus of the Conservative campaign.
In the last election in 2021, Khan beat Tory candidate Shaun Bailey, but by a narrower margin than polls had predicted. He received 55% of the vote to Bailey’s 45% in the runoff, which included second preferences.
