Local election 2021 RESULTS LIVE – Sadiq Khan wins London Mayor race as Angela Rayner sacking slammed by Andy Burnham

LATEST LOCAL ELECTION RESULTS

Labour has received a drubbing in some parts of the country.

The beleaguered party has lost control of a host of councils.

It’s also suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Boris Johnson’s Conservatives in the Hartlepool by-election – the first time the North East constituency has gone blue since its inception in the 1970s.

SCOTLAND ‘SPLIT’ OVER INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM

Ian Murray MP, Labour’s shadow Scottish secretary, said an independence referendum was not the priority of the Scottish people at the moment.

He told Sophy Ridge on Sky: “The important thing to realise from these elections, which is critical for all sides of this debate, is that Scotland is completely split down the middle.

“In terms of the constituency vote pro-independence parties just fell short of 50 per cent and on the regional list just got over 50 per cent, so Scotland is completely and utterly split down the middle.

“The First Minister promised this election would be about Covid recovery and we will be holding her to that, and if she brings a bill to parliament about a referendum when she promised it would be about Covid recovery we will certainly not support that.

ANDY BURNHAM DECLARES ‘I’M HERE’ AFTER LABOUR ELECTION DISASTER

Former Labour MP Andy Burnham has told the party “I’m here” if it wants to replace Sir Keir Starmer, reports the Sunday Telegraph.

After keeping a hold of his Greater Manchester mayoralty, he said: “If the party were ever to feel it needed me, well I’m here and they should get in touch.

“I have tried twice to be leader and it has never worked, so I’m not under any illusions.”

KHAN WINS CAPITAL AFTER CLOSE CALL WITH BAILEY

Sadiq Khan has been reelected as London Mayor after beating his Tory rival Shaun Bailey.

It comes after an overnight scare for the Labour incumbent when the race for City Hall proved much tighter than expected.

Khan won by 55.2% to Bailey’s 44.8% when first and second preferences were included.

Khan took 40 per cent of the first round votes, just five per cent more than his Tory rival.

LABOUR PARTY’S ‘CIVIL WAR’

The Labour Party looks set to descend into “civil war” reports the Sunday Telegraph.

The paper adds that the ‘bloodletting’ has begun inside the stricken party, after it lost the Hartlepool by-election.

This was shown with the sacking of deputy leader Angela Rayner, the paper says.

Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell slammed the move as a “cowardly avoidance of responsibility”.

BORIS JOHNSON: I’LL STOP BRAIN DRAIN TO CITIES

In the Queen’s Speech, the PM is expected to target red wall towns to boost local skilled jobs, in the wake of the huge Conservative victory in the local elections.

He will pledge that people should be able to “live local and prosper”.

Boris Johnson is also expected to discuss how health bosses will tackle the huge backlog of NHS operations.

PM ASKED TO ‘RESPECT DEMOCRACY’ IN SCOTLAND

Newly-elected SNP MSP Neil Gray said First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will ask Prime Minister Boris Johnson to “simply … respect democracy” and grant a second independence referendum.

Mr Gray told BBC Breakfast: “There has never been as great a pro-independence majority in the Scottish Parliament and he needs to respect that outcome.

“Clearly the health impact of the pandemic needs to be dealt with first and then we need to take a decision as a nation … about who gets to decide about the economic priorities about our recovery from the pandemic.

“Do we want the powerful decisions of that being made by Boris Johnson for us in Scotland?

“Or do we want to be able to take those decisions ourselves and reject the austerity-driven, Brexit-driven isolationist UK Government?”

HAVING A MAYOR

Andy Burnham is the bookies’ favourite to replace Sir Keir Starmer as the Labour leader endures a nightmare at the top.

The Greater Manchester mayor is ahead of shadow Cabinet minister Lisa Nandy in the betting stakes.

Sadiq Khan, who has four years’ experience as London mayor, and shadow Cabinet colleague Rachel Reeves, a former economist at the Bank of England, are also tipped for the top job.

Sheffield City mayor Dan Jarvis, a former paratrooper, could also be in the frame with his Red Wall credentials. He is also the Labour MP for Barnsley Central.

SADIQ WINS

Sadiq Khan has been reelected as London Mayor after beating out his rival Shaun Bailey.

It comes after an overnight scare for the Labour incumbent when the race for City Hall proved much tighter than expected.

NAT ENOUGH

Nicola Sturgeon today demanded a new independence vote despite falling short of a majority and the PM rejecting her “reckless” plans.

Boris Johnson said he will block any requests for another referendum, but the First Minister hit back: “You will not succeed.”

The Nats won a fourth consecutive term at Holyrood, but tactical unionist voting saw them fall short of a majority.

The Tories held the crucial battleground of Aberdeenshire West, as the SNP won 64 seats – one short of a majority.

It blows off course Ms Sturgeon’s plans to wield an SNP majority to demand a second independence referendum.

But she claimed the likely pro-independence majority with the Greens still commands a mandate for a fresh vote.

‘NOT MUCH TIME’

If last Thursday’s results were replicated in a national poll, the Tories could win 36 more seats off Labour.

One Labour MP said: “We don’t have much time – and that means neither does Keir.

“Boris Johnson is riding high on the success of his vaccine programme and is likely to go to the polls early — possibly in 2023.

“If things don’t improve in the next 12 months, we’re going to have to decide whether to stick with Keir in the run-up to an Election or to cut our losses and bed in a new leader in time to save us from wipeout.”

CONTINUED

As rival factions began looking for a candidate they could unite behind yesterday, Sir Keir was holed up with his inner circle at Labour HQ.

A shadow Cabinet source said: “The leadership has gone into a bunker.

“He came in with a lot of goodwill but now he’s squandered it.”

Sir Keir is on the ropes as Boris Johnson looked set for a decade in power after a wave of stunning victories in Labour’s crumbling “Red Wall” territory.

LABOUR PLEADER

Bruised Sir Keir Starmer pleaded for more time to save his pummelled party yesterday as MPs began the search for his successor.

Senior figures declared the Labour leader a “dead man walking” after local elections thrashings in their former heartlands.

Rival factions were openly discussing their favoured candidate to run for the top job when Sir Keir falls on his sword.

To add to his woes, Andy Burnham effectively threw his hat into the ring — and was swiftly installed as 6-1 favourite to be next leader.

Minutes after being re-elected as Mayor of Greater Manchester, he teasingly urged his Westminster colleagues to “get in touch”.

WHAT IS SADIQ KHAN’S MANIFESTO?

Labour’s candidate for the mayoral office is focusing on what he sees as five key areas based around the slogan “building a brighter future”.

• Jobs – “supporting businesses and banging the drum for investment”
• Green policies – “tackling toxic air pollution and the climate emergency”
• Housing crisis – “record numbers of council homes and rent controls”
• Getting tough on crime and its causes – “more police officers and opportunities for young Londoners
• Rejecting government cuts – “to TfL, the Met Police and local councils”

WHY WAS ANGELA SACKED AS LABOUR PARTY CHAIRMAN?

Keir Starmer today sacked Rayner from her roles as Labour’s party chair and national campaign coordinator.

It comes after the party’s humiliating loss of the Hartlepool byelection.

Humiliated Keir yesterday took “full responsibility” for the “bitterly disappointing” results as he desperately scrambled to save his leadership and party from extinction.

However, he today pushed her into the firing line, with people believing he used her as a “scapegoat.

Gaya Sriskanthan, Momentum co-chair, said: “It is his failed strategy that has brought us to this point, and he said he would take responsibility. Yet again he has gone back on his word.”

HOW DO THE ELECTION RESULTS LOOK NOW?

FINAL RESULTS FROM BIRMINGHAM – ANDY STREET WINS

Andy Street significantly increased his majority winning the West Midlands mayoral election.

LABOUR LEADER ANGELA RAYNER SACKED AS CHAIRMAN POST ELECTION

Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner has been sacked as party chairman in the aftermath of election results.

WHO IS SADIQ KHAN’S WIFE SAADIYA KHAN?

Khan married Saadiya Ahmed in 1994.

She is a solicitor and was raised in the Islamic faith.

Two years ago Khan was branded a hypocrite after he criticised workers who get paid through their own company – even though Saadiya did the same thing.

The Mayor of London’s solicitor wife Saadiya has raked in thousands through her own “personal service company”.

The Sun revealed that Mr Khan’s wife, who practices law under her maiden name Saadiya Ahmad, funnels some earnings through her own “consultancy” firm.

TORIES GET THEIR HATRICK

Conservative Andy Street this afternoon stormed reelection as mayor of the West Midlands with a swelled majority, following yesterday’s Tory wins in Hartlepool and Tees Valley.

Mr Street, who sneaked a surprise victory in 2017, put more than 47,043 votes past his Labour rival, the former Cabinet minister Liam Byrne. 

The triple-whammy defeat has sparked serious soul-searching within Labour – as well as a furious blame-game among rival factions.

STURGEON LAYS DOWN GAUNTLET TO BORIS

Nicola Sturgeon dared Boris Johnson to block a second independence referendum, saying: “You will not succeed.”

Although she failed to secure an outright SNP majority, the First Minister said the likely pro-independence majority with Greens commands a mandate for Indyref2.

She told the BBC: “‘For any Westminster politician who tries to stand in the way of that I would say two things.

‘First, you are not picking a fight with the SNP, you are picking a fight with the democratic wishes of the Scottish people.

“Second, you will not succeed. The only people who can decide the future of Scotland are the Scottish people, and no Westminster politician can, or should, stand in the way of that.”

LABOUR GAIN MAYORALTY FROM TORIES

Labour candidate Dan Norris has been elected West of England mayor, beating Conservative candidate Samuel Williams.

The position had been held by Tory TIm Bowles, who stood down at this election.

Mr Norris said: “It’s a huge honour to be elected. Thank you.

“I will show the difference an active metro mayor makes for our region. This role is about collaboration and I’ll listen carefully and work co-operatively.”

SNP LOSE CRUCIAL BATTLEGROUND

The SNP have lost the Aberdeenshire West constituency to the Tories, all but dashing Nicola Sturgeon’s hopes of landing a majority.

ANDY BURNHAM WINS MANCHESTER MAYORALTY

As predicted, Andy Burnham cruised to an emphatic win to be reelected Mayor of Greater Manchester.

The Labour incumbent took a staggering 473,000 votes, beating his closest Tory rival on 114,000.

In his victory speech he said: “I will continue to adopt a place-first, not a party-first approach.

“Where the government gets it right and treats us fairly I will work with them.

“But where they don’t I will challenge them for you as forcefully as I can. Greater Manchester deserves nothing less.”

SADIQ KHAN MARCHING TOWARDS REELECTION IN LONDON

Sadiq Khan was this afternoon inching towards reelection as London mayor after some early jitters.

The Labour incumbent had taken 40 per cent all counted votes at 4pm, pulling away from his Tory rival Shaun Bailey on 35 per cent.

The race for City Hall has proved much tighter than expected, with some pre-election polls projecting Mr Khan to cruise to a first round victory.

As things stand the contest will go to second preference votes, which will likely push Mr Khan over the line. A result is not expected until 9pm.