With Labour’s general election victory in the rearview mirror, eyes are turning to the next battle: who will be the party’s next candidate for London mayor.
Sadiq Khan has not said whether he will seek a historic fourth term as London mayor, but already within Labour names are beginning to emerge as potential successors should he decide not to stand again.
Those who have been tipped as potential runners in the race include Stella Creasy, Labour MP for Walthamstow, Florence Eshalomi, Labour MP for Vauxhall and Camberwell Green, and Dawn Butler, Labour MP for Brent East and former shadow minister.
Dr Rosena Allin Khan, who represents Mr Khan’s former seat of Tooting and is a former shadow minister for mental health, has also been tipped as a potential candidate.
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A spokesperson for Dr Allin-Khan told Sky News: “We have a brilliant Labour mayor of London in Sadiq who’s just been re-elected and is delivering for London – including freezing bus fares and universal free school meals.
“Rosena is focused on her job standing up for the residents of Tooting, tackling crime, addressing the cost-of-living crisis and working shifts in A&E.”
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During the local elections in May, Mr Khan secured a historic third term as London mayor, seeing off Tory challenger Susan Hall by a majority of nearly 276,000 votes.
This year’s mayoral election was the first to be conducted using a “first past the post” system – where each voter chooses a single candidate and the winner is determined by a simple majority.
Before a government rule change, the London mayoral elections used the supplementary vote system, where each voter chooses a first and second preference candidate, with the lowest supported person being eliminated until someone takes 50% of the vote.
Sources say there is a growing consensus within Labour that the next mayor of London should be a woman.
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Georgia Gould, the former leader of Camden Council and former chair of London Councils is also being encouraged to stand for London mayor, Sky News has been told, but may not be persuaded to run due to the fact she holds a safe seat in Queen’s Park and Maida Vale.
Mete Coban, Mr Khan’s deputy mayor of London for environment and energy, is also being tipped as a possible candidate, as is David Lammy, the foreign secretary who is known to have long harboured ambitions for the role.
His position on Gaza as foreign secretary could however undermine any campaign he runs for the capital, owing to the left-leaning Labour membership.
A source close to Mr Khan told Sky News said: “It’s only been a few months since Sadiq’s historic re-election.
“His sole focus is on continuing to build a fairer, safer and greener London for everyone.”
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The next London mayoral contest is due to be held in 2028 and other candidates could emerge.
Before then, there will be local elections in London in 2026, four years on from the last set of local elections in the capital where the totemic councils of Wandsworth, Westminster and Barnet all fell from the Conservatives to Labour.
Sky News has approached those named in this article for comment.
