Sadiq Khan Cautions Aspire Party Uk After Labour Lose Lambeth and Lewisham
aspire party uk held Tower Hamlets, but Labour lost control of Lambeth and Lewisham as London local election results were declared. Sir Sadiq Khan called the results “deeply disappointing for Labour in London” and said the losses would narrow the party’s room to serve the public.
The scale was broader than two boroughs. Before the vote, Labour controlled 21 London boroughs, with five under the Conservatives, three under the Lib Dems, one under Aspire Party Uk and two under no overall control. On the day covered by the results, the Green Party took Hackney with 42 seats to Labour’s nine, while Labour lost 41 seats there.
Khan’s warning on Labour
“I want to thank, from the bottom of my heart, all the great Labour councillors who have lost their seats for their hard work and dedication over many years,” Khan said. He added: “Labour is only able to deliver when we win elections, whether that be general, mayoral or local.”
He linked the losses to party management as well as the ballot box. “Labour has lost votes in London to a variety of different parties, but the biggest change has been Labour voters switching to the Greens,” he said, before warning: “Too many of the government’s achievements have been overshadowed by basic mistakes and a failure to boldly assert our progressive values.”
Hackney changes the map
Hackney’s result was the sharpest break in London’s council map. The Greens took control of the borough and won its mayoralty, while the Conservatives won six seats and gained one seat there. That left Labour with nine councillors, a collapse from the dominant position it held before the count.
For Labour, the problem is not just the loss of two councils. Khan said: “Losing control of councils in London will limit our ability to serve the public in the way we want.” He then raised the stakes further: “Without a change in course and an acceleration in delivery, the threat to Labour is existential.”
London’s 136-council count
The results came from a contest spanning more than 5,000 seats across 136 local authorities and six mayoral races. That makes each London council gain or loss part of a wider read on how parties are shifting support across the capital, not just in one borough at a time.
By the same stage of the count, Croydon remained under no overall control. Aspire holding Tower Hamlets and Labour losing Lambeth and Lewisham leaves the capital with fewer safe places for the party to lean on while results from all counts were expected to be declared by Saturday.
