A bitterly fought election campaign ended on Friday evening with Boris Johnson named the next mayor of London.
The Conservative incumbent defeated Ken Livingstone by a narrow margin of 51.5 per cent to 48.5 per cent.
He pledged to fight for a “good deal for Londoners,” and thanked voters for giving him “a new chance and a new mandate to take us forward”.
Mr Livingstone, who vowed not to contest the mayoralty again, labelled his defeat the one he would most regret in his career in politics. He complained of the media’s role and “the negativity and the smears that dominated this election” in his speech after the result was announced.
In the elections for the London Assembly, Labour increased its control. Former Hendon Labour MP Andrew Dismore was elected to serve as the member for Barnet and Camden, defeating Conservative incumbent Brian Coleman by . He won 74,677 against Mr Coleman’s 53,378.
“I’ve spent the best part of the year licking my wounds after losing my seat in the general election – but I’m a politician at heart and it’s great to be back in active politics again,” he said.
Labour gained more than 800 seats across the country, stripping both the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties of support. Nine cities, including Birmingham and Manchester, voted against proposals to introduce directly elected mayors. Former Eccles MP Ian Stewart was voted the Labour mayor of Salford.
The British National Party suffered heavy losses, capturing just 2.1 per cent of the London vote and losing its one seat in the London Assembly, as well the six council seats it held.
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