Sadiq Khan beats favourite Tessa Jowell to become Labour’s 2016 London mayoral nomination indicating potential landslide victory for Jeremy Corbyn in Labour’s leadership election

By:

Add as a preferred source on Google

Tooting MP Sadiq Khan has won the Labour mayoral candidate race, beating other contenders including favourite Tessa Jowell.

Khan, who served in the shadow cabinet under Ed Miliband, beat Jowell in the fifth round with 58.9 per cent of votes against Jowell's 41.1 per cent. A total of 87,954 people voted.

David Lammy and Dianne Abbott were also among those who Khan overcame, as his campaign garnered momentum in the build up to the result.

In his first interview after winning the nomination, Khan said it was his job to win back the trust of Londoners:

Jowell, who served as a cabinet minister in Tony Blair’s government, was seen as the frontrunner. 

It was speculated before the result that Corbyn’s rise in popularity and the growth in Labour’s members and registered supporters eligible to vote for the mayoral candidate could influence the mayoral race as new members were less likely to choose a Blairite candidate in the form of Jowell, instead preferring Khan or Abbott. But the winning margin was larger than anyone expected.

Read more: London can be top of the pile for skills and tech – New York shows us how

Abbott also did particularly well, claiming 20.7 per cent of votes in the fourth round. Close to three-quarters of her votes were redistributed to Khan in the fifth and final round in a blow to Blairites, indicating further that Corbyn is likely to win by a landslide in the Labour leadership election result, which will be announced tomorrow.
 
While Sadiq Khan was one of the MPs to nominate Jeremy Corbyn in order to widen the party's debate, but voted for Andy Burnham.
 
https://twitter.com/faisalislam/status/642321337432821760

The Conservative party is meanwhile allowing all Londoners the opportunity to vote for who its candidate will be, by signing up for £1. It is widely speculated that Zac Goldsmith will win the Conservative nomination, leading to a tight mayoral race between Goldsmith and Khan.

An analysis of polls by YouGov suggested Goldsmith will become the next Mayor of London in the competition, but another poll by Survation said Khan will win, and bookmaker Ladbrokes has now put Khan out in front.

Read more: Zac Goldsmith – The green Tory gunning for Londoners’ votes in the 2016 mayoral election

Odds on Khan taking back City Hall for Labour are now 8/11, relegating Goldsmith to second favourite with odds of 11/10.

Head of political betting at Ladbrokes Matthew Shaddick said: "Tessa Jowell would have been a strong favourite had she got the nod, but Khan's victory makes this race almost too close to call. It also points pretty clearly to a Corbyn coronation."

Paddy Power have also shortened the odds on Khan becoming Mayor of London, now offering 6/4, while Goldsmith's odds have gone longer at 5/4. Paddy Power said: “It looks to be a showdown between the son of a bus driver and the son of a billionaire for the key to London and at the moment Khan is in the driving seat.”