On Thursday 6th May 2021 elections will be taking place all across the country, including in London. Londoners will be voting for a Mayor and London Assembly members, with transport, policing and the pandemic among the key policy issues for candidates and voters.
Mayoral Election
The London Mayor is elected using a ranked ballot. Voters will mark their first-choice candidate and their second-choice. If a candidate gets 50% or more first-choice votes, they win the election outright. If no candidate gets more than half the first-choice votes, then the two candidates with the most first-choice votes will have their second-choice votes added to their totals. The candidate with the most total votes will then be declared the winner.
With 20 candidates for Mayor of London, this election has the largest number ever for a London election. This means that it could be harder than ever for a candidate to win over 50% of first-choice votes, as votes will be split among many options. So the second-choice votes may be very important for top candidates.
According to current Opinium polls, incumbent Mayor and Labour Party candidate Sadiq Khan is expected to get 48% of first-choice votes and win in the second-choice round. Conservative Party candidate and current London Assembly Member Shaun Bailey is expected to get 29% of first-choice votes and also move on to the second-choice round. Other candidates polling above 5% include Liberal Democrat candidate Luisa Manon Porritt and Green Party candidate and fellow London Assembly Member Sian Berry.
Other notable candidates in this election are former Actor Laurence Fox who has been campaigning to end lockdowns, and Count Binface, a satirical costumed candidate who ran against Theresa May in the 2017 general election. Both of these candidates are currently around 1% in the polls.
“The winning Mayoral candidate will be responsible for issues that affect every Londoner – from transport and policing, to housing and the environment.”
Assembly Election
At the same time as the Mayoral election, Londoners will also be electing the London Assembly Members. Voters will be able to vote for an Assembly Member to represent the constituency they live in as well as 11 Members who will represent London as a whole. For constituencies, the candidate who gets the most votes wins. For the London-wide members the seats will be allocated to the parties or independents that get over 5% of votes. These members will be elected to hold the Mayor to account and help constituents.
Key Things to Watch
Among the London Mayoral and Assembly Member elections, there are some significant issues that many of the parties and independents are focusing on. Mary Harpley, The Chief Returning Officer for the London election explained that for the next three years, “The winning Mayoral candidate will be responsible for issues that affect every Londoner – from transport and policing, to housing and the environment.”
Policing and public safety is a campaign issue that many candidates are discussing, with many proposing an increase in police officers. Affordable housing is also a campaign point with proposals for an increase in council homes, while some are proposing support for renters and others proposing supports for buyers. Following the financial struggles of the past year, Transport for London (TfL) has also been a topic of discussion with many candidates focusing on how to ensure that it stays profitable, affordable, and environmentally sustainable.
This election will also be one to watch because of the pandemic. There may be a higher than normal number of postal ballots, and there are new measures for emergency proxy votes for those who need to self-isolate. All postal ballots will be due by 10pm on 6th May 2021. The pandemic will also influence polling locations with everyone being required to wear masks and socially distance. Polling locations will be open for voting between 7am and 10pm.
When To Expect Results
Although the elections will take place on Thursday 6th May 2021, the election count will take place over two days due to social distancing requirements. The Constituency Assembly Member election results will be split across Friday 7th May and Saturday 8th May, while the London-wide Assembly election results will be announced on Saturday 8th May. At the earliest, the London Mayoral election results could be announced on Saturday 8th May in the evening.
Monique Mulima
Featured image courtesy of Elliott Stallion on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
Monique Mulima
Hi I'm Monique. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Communication from Ryerson University. After graduating, I moved from Toronto, Canada to London, UK. I am freelance journalist and I am passionate about politics and current affairs.