Khan: Protest Votes Threaten May 7 Elections

London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Tuesday urged voters not to use the May local elections to register a protest by backing the Green Party or Reform UK, arguing that such choices could leave people unhappy with who ends up running their councils. He said the decision should be based on how local authorities have performed, rather than serving as a verdict on national politics.

Khan acknowledged that some people who previously supported Labour may be looking elsewhere because they are dissatisfied with the pace of change delivered by the national Labour government. He said he understood that frustration, while maintaining that local elections should be judged on local results and leadership.

The vote on May 7 will decide representatives across a wide set of institutions. In London, members for all 32 borough councils are due to be chosen. The same election date also covers other councils and mayoralties across England, as well as members of the Scottish and Welsh parliaments.

In his remarks, Khan pointed to areas where he said progress had been made, including child poverty and renters’ rights. At the same time, he conceded that the national Labour leadership had not delivered everything Londoners wanted. He framed that gap between expectations and delivery as a reason some voters might be tempted to cast a protest ballot, while warning that the consequences would be felt most directly in day-to-day local services and decision-making.

Khan also asked Londoners to weigh how effectively a council led by a protest party would operate locally, and whether it would work constructively with a Labour mayor and a potential Labour government. He presented cooperation between different layers of government as a practical consideration for voters deciding who should control borough councils.

Separately, Khan cautioned Labour Members of Parliament against turning inward and challenging party leader Keir Starmer if the May results disappoint. He said that kind of internal debate—described by him as “navel gazing”—would likely be punished by voters. Khan linked that warning to what he called the current geopolitical climate, arguing that the public would not respond well to a party appearing preoccupied with internal disputes.