Susan Hall has failed to close the huge gap between her and Sadiq Khan with just six weeks to go to the May 2 mayoral election, a new poll reveals.
The Savanta poll for the Centre for London put the Labour mayor on 51 per cent and the Tory contender 27 per cent, giving him a 24 point lead, similar to a series of previous polls.
He is ahead in both Inner and Outer London, on 51 per cent in both, while Ms Hall is more popular in the latter, which traditionally is a more Conservative area, on 30 per cent, compared to 20 per cent in the more central boroughs.
Liberal Democrat Rob Blackie is on ten per cent capital-wide, the Green’s Zoe Garbett eight per cent, and Reform UK’s Howard Cox two per cent.
Mr Khan has the big lead despite a majority of Londoners saying he has done badly or very badly on:
* Dealing with knife crime and gangs, 58 per cent
* Tackling homelessness in London, 58 per cent
* Improving the availability of housing in London, 56 per cent
However, on the upside for him more than half of Londoners say the Mayor since 2016 has done well or very well on:
* Making London diverse, multicultural, and tolerant, 59 per cent
* Managing London’s transport network, 53 per cent
* Protecting London’s green spaces, 56 per cent
Londoners are split over Mr Khan’s overall performance in City Hall, with 38 per cent satisfied, 37 per cent not satisfied.
Chris Hopkins, political research director at Savanta said: “Mr Khan’s lead is commanding, but potentially deceptive.
“Londoners are not entirely convinced of his record on a number of their key issues, including crime and housing, and London polling has historically overstated Labour performance and understated the Conservatives.
“Alongside the potential impact of a new electoral system and Voter ID laws, this could be a tighter race than these topline figures imply.”
But he added: “The most likely outcome with an unpopular Conservative candidate and an even more unpopular Conservative government is a resounding Khan victory.”
Antonia Jennings, chief executive at the Centre for London, stressed: “With rough sleeping up by 50 per cent in the last decade and knife crime in London up 22 per cent in the last year, it’s unsurprising these issues are at the forefront of Londoners minds.
“We cannot see these trends continue. Our next Mayor needs to face these challenges head-on, with a long-term plan and substantial investment.”
However, she emphasised that the Mayor’s power “remains limited” and that tackling the major issues facing the capital would need “significant support” from the Government.
“London Councils are already warning of huge funding gaps, missing an estimated £700 million from their social housing budgets, while Sadiq Khan has already diverted council tax and business rates revenue to plug over £1 billion into the Met police after budget cuts from national government,” she added.
“We need collaborative leadership, where Westminster and the London mayor unify their policymaking and funding efforts. Without it, too many Londoners will be left in dire situations.”
The poll found younger voters, aged 18-34, overwhelmingly back Mr Khan, with 64 per cent saying they would vote for him, with Ms Hall tying with Mr Blackie on 11 per cent each.
The Tory candidate leads her Labour rival among 55-year-olds and over by 43 per cent to 36 per cent.
More than two thirds of Asian or black Londoners say they will vote for Mr Khan, compared to 51 per cent and 39 per cent respectively for those who are of mixed or white ethnicity.
A higher proportion of respondents of white or mixed ethnicity said they would vote for Ms Hall, 34 per cent among each group, than voters of Black ethnicity, at 12 per cent.
A YouGov survey in February put Mr Khan on 49 per cent and Ms Hall 24 per cent, a gap of 25 points.
* Savanta interviewed 1,510 UK adults aged 18+ online on 8-12 March. Data were weighted.
