Labour urges young Londoners to vote as poll shows mayoral race tightening

Sadiq Khan yesterday urged young Londoners to vote in the mayoral election on Thursday, warning that a shock victory for the Conservatives’ Susan Hall would be like waking up to Donald Trump in power or the Brexit vote in 2016.

With Khan’s lead appearing to narrow in the polls, the Labour mayor said there were worries that low turnout among younger voters would allow a Tory mayor to “sneak in” to City Hall. On top of that, Labour sources said their internal data suggested fewer than half of 18- to 24-year-olds were aware that photo ID was needed to cast their ballot, compared with 98% of over 65s.

For much of the campaign Khan has been more than 20 points ahead of Hall, but a recent Savanta poll for the Mile End Institute at Queen Mary University of London put the gap closer to 13%. Khan beat his Conservative rival, Shaun Bailey, by just 4.7% in the first round of voting in 2021, after polls had put him 20 points ahead in April of that year

There appears to be a big age divide in voting intention, according to the Savanta poll. It found about 54% of 18- to 34-year-olds planned to support Khan, but 53% aged 65 and over were intending to support Hall.

With less than a week to go before the contest, Khan said he was “worried we could be looking at a repeat of the Brexit referendum and the Trump victory in 2016, where young people wake up shocked because they didn’t make their views heard at the ballot box”.

“In the 2020 US elections, turnout among young people helped the Democrats defeat Donald Trump. I’m asking younger Londoners to do the same in London and ensure we don’t let the Tory candidate win in our city,” he said.

Khan, who is seeking a third term as London mayor, described Hall as a “hard-right Tory candidate who would take our city backwards”. He added: “The Tory candidate is an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump, has endorsed Enoch Powell’s racist views and promoted Islamophobic tropes online.

“We need to protect London’s values, London’s diversity and everything that makes our city so special,” he said.

“All the things younger Londoners care about are also on the line – from free school meals, TfL [Transport for London] fares being frozen and free skills training, to new affordable housing to buy and rent, funding for youth clubs and action to tackle homelessness and the climate crisis. So I urge young Londoners, please come out and lend me your vote,” Khan added.

The next nearest candidates are the Liberal Democrat Rob Blackie on 9% and the Green Zoe Garbett on 7%.

Hall has focused on her campaign on protecting Londoners from crime. “Sexual offences are up and after eight years of Sadiq Khan, the current way of doing things just is not working. I will appoint a women’s commissioner to make sure we sort this out,” she said.

"My policing plan will put 1,500 more officers on the beat, two new police bases in every borough, and put the police back into the communities they serve – all backed by a £200m investment.” She added: "We cannot go on as

we are. Women deserve to not only feel safe in our city, but to know that they are safe.”