Counting will begin this morning in the London mayoral election as Susan Hall and Sadiq Khan anxiously wait to learn if they have been voted into City Hall.
The two frontrunners in the contest are among 13 candidates in the race, with the result due to be announced later on Saturday.
The battle between Labour incumbent Mr Khan and his Tory challenger Ms Hall is expected to be closer than first thought.
It comes after turnout fell in all of Sadiq Khan’s key battlegrounds – and rose in some of Susan Hall’s Tory heartlands – sparking rumours in political circles that Ms Hall could pull off a shock win. A Labour source said that the fundamentals were still good for Mr Khan but that no one could know the outcome of the vote at this stage.
Counting will begin at 9am on Saturday. Votes will be counted alongside the election for the London Assembly.
The first results on the mayoralty may come in around midday, with speculation that by around 1.30pm it might be clear who will emerge as the winner.
Voting figures for each of the 14 London Assembly constituencies will be announced as soon as each count is completed, with the first declaration expected on Saturday afternoon.
The mayoral votes for that constituency will be announced at the same time. You will be able to follow all the results on our dedicated page, and on this live blog.
The “official” declaration time for the mayoural contest is 1.30pm but many expect the announcement to come later than that, and it could stretch into Saturday evening.
It comes as results of several other mayoral, council, and police and crime commissioner elections will also be announced on Saturday, after a bruising day of election results for Rishi Sunak., when the Conservatives suffered a net loss of 371 seats, and lost control of 10 councils.
A narrow contest is also likely as West Midlands Tory mayor Andy Street seeks reelection. A failure to unseat the Tory mayor would represent a setback for Sir Keir Starmer after otherwise good local elections for his party.
Scroll down to follow all the developments.
What does the London Assembly do?
08:32 , Sami Quadri
The London Assembly holds the Mayor and mayoral advisers accountable by examining their policies and programmes in committee meetings, plenary sessions, site visits, and investigations. It requires the Mayor to respond to its motions and formal recommendations.
Additionally, the Assembly questions the Mayor ten times a year during Mayor’s Question Time.
Assembly Members must also be consulted by the Mayor before finalising statutory strategies and the multi-billion pound GLA Group budget.
The Assembly has the power to reject the Mayor’s strategies and amend the draft budget if two-thirds of its members agree.
London mayoral election result: When will winner be announced?
08:21 , Sami Quadri
It will most likely be early afternoon on Saturday at the earliest when it will become clear whether Sadiq Khan has won a third term in City Hall or if Tory candidate Susan Hall has pulled off a surprise victory.
The counting of votes will start at 9am on Saturday.
Votes at previous London mayoral and assembly member elections have been counted electronically at three count centres.
This year, they will be counted by hand at 14 Assembly Constituency count venues across London.
The first results are expected to be announced from around midday on Saturday.
The Press Association has suggested that by 1.30pm it may be clear who will be the next mayor.
But past counts have drifted later so it could be late afternoon, or even the evening before it emerges whether Mr Khan or Ms Hall is the winner.
The tension could run into the night if the result is delayed further and the official announcement could even tip into Sunday.
You can read more here.
Boris Johnson thanks villagers who refused to let him vote without ID
08:05 , Sami Quadri
Boris Johnson has thanked three villagers who turned the former prime minister away from a polling station on Thursday for attempting to vote without a valid ID.
Writing for the Daily Mail, Mr Johnson said he attempted to use a copy of Prospect magazine as a form of identification, but was turned away by local electorate officials.
Mr Johnson wrote: “I want to pay a particular tribute to the three villagers who on Thursday rightly turned me away when I appeared in the polling station with nothing to prove my identity except the sleeve of my copy of Prospect magazine, on which my name and address had been printed.
“I showed it to them and they looked very dubious… within minutes I was back with my driving licence and voted Tory.”
The requirement to provide photo ID was introduced by Mr Johnson during his time in Downing Street as part of the Elections Act 2022.
How London voted in 2021
07:53 , Sami Quadri
Which councils have changed hands?
07:49 , Sami Quadri
On Friday, 102 out of 107 councils in England declared their local election results, with five still pending.
Labour has gained more than 170 seats, now controlling 48 councils and seizing eightyesterday.
However, they lost Oldham in Greater Manchester after two councillors resigned over the war in Gaza earlier this year.
The Conservatives have shed over 440 seats, now holding over 470, and lost controlof 10 councils, including Basildon in Essex, a council symbolically significant as MargaretThatcher was once MP there.
The Liberal Democrats have added more than 100 councillors and captured Tunbridge Wells but failed to secure West Oxfordshire and Wokingham, both target areas.
What will be the first clues to a Sadiq Khan or Susan Hall victory?
07:31 , Matt Watts
Several key “bellwether” constituencies could give an early indication of whether Sadiq Khan is on course for an historic third term or whether Susan Hall could deliver a shock victory and seize City Hall for the Tories for the first time in more than a decade.
Read our City Hall editor Ross Lydall’s analysis here for a guide on what to look out for as the results come in.
Why is the contest closer than expected?
07:24 , Matt Watts
The battle to become the next London mayor is expected be far closer than the polls predicted.
This is because turnout data from the election released on Friday evening was favourable to Conservative candidate Susan Hall over Labour mayor Sadiq Khan.
Turnout fell in all of Mr Khan’s key Labour heartlands compared to the last election which he won in 2021 – and rose in some of the areas with more Tory voters.
For more detail , read our story here.
Welcome to our London mayoral election coverage
07:07 , Matt Watts
Welcome to our coverage of the London mayoral elections, stay with us through the day for all of the developments in the race for City Hall.
All eyes will now turn to the mayoral contest in London after a bruising day of election results for Rishi Sunak on Friday, following Thursday’s elections.
Labour incumbent Sadiq Khan is now believed to have a closer-than-expected contest with Tory challenger Susan Hall in the capital, with the count to begin in 14 centres around the capital at 9am.
We will have reporters at the count and to bring you the result when it is announced at City Hall later, so stay with us through the day.
The result in the mayoral election is expected this afternoon or this evening.
