Sadiq Khan, the Labour Party mayor seeking a historic third consecutive victory, was expected to win easily, but there are some fears that the contest could be tighter than previously thought.
This is mainly due to the fact that turnout for Thursday’s elections – a total of 40.5% – was higher in the suburbs than in the city center.
Khan’s main opponent, Conservative Susan Hall, focused her campaign on issues such as the tax imposed on highly polluting vehicles, which has had an impact on the suburbs, where residents rely more on cars for work and essential travel.
There are also concerns within the Labour Party that Khan could suffer blowback from the party leadership’s strong pro-Israel stance on the war in Gaza, as Friday’s results clearly showed depressed support in heavily Muslim areas in England.
The results should be known by lunchtime, but sources have warned that the tabulation could be extended into the early hours of Sunday.
The Conservative Party has lost 11 parliamentary by-elections since 2019.
The Labour Party won a landslide victory in the Blackpool South constituency, previously represented by the Conservatives.
Labour’s Chris Webb won 58.9% of the vote, against 17.5% for Conservative David Jones, according to the results announced this morning.
Thursday’s election, which saw an abstention rate of 67.5%, was held due to the resignation of Conservative MP Scott Benton for breaking lobbying rules.
On Friday, Labour leader Keir Starmer highlighted the large transfer of votes from voters to the main opposition party.
“The UK is demanding change. It’s time for a general election,” he wrote on the social network X.
The election in Blackpool took place on the same day as the local elections in England and Wales, where the vote count continues today.
Although expected, a poor performance could increase the pressure on the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, to bring forward the general election or resign as leader of the Tories.
The government has until the end of January 2025 to hold parliamentary elections, although Sunak indicated that he wanted them to be held at the end of this year.
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