Labour in power is popular – the local election results in London prove that

Last week, Londoners gave Labour a massive vote of confidence. I’m delighted that Labour now has more councillors in London than at any time since 1971. Some people try to paint Labour as an inner-London party – but these elections showed that isn’t the case. Not only did we win council seats and councils in central and inner London, but we made gains in outer, more suburban parts of the city too.

We won areas we never have before: Barnet and Westminster, and areas like Wandsworth, which have been Conservative for more than 44 years. It was the herculean efforts of our Labour activists paired with positive and bold offers from Labour teams to voters that helped turn these areas, and many more across our city, red. There were tough results in some boroughs, but these were caused by very specific local issues that we always knew were going to make this election difficult in those areas.

Overall, these results show that Labour in power is popular. Londoners have recognised that, together, a Labour-run City Hall, Labour councils, the national party led by Sir Keir Starmer, Labour MPs and Labour Assembly members are working hard to build a better London for everyone – a city that is greener, fairer and safer than ever before.

These results – contrary to some right-wing narratives – also show that Labour’s bold and progressive policies are popular. From City Hall in London, we have rolled out the world’s largest ultra-low emission zone, built record numbers of cycle lanes and have supported well-planned infrastructure which gives pedestrians and cyclists priority over cars.

These elections saw Labour make gains in those areas with the boldest policies, and the Conservatives make losses where they tried to rip them out or run against them. We have bought back council homes that were sold off under Right to Buy, built record numbers of new council homes, massively increased spending to tackle homelessness and called for rent controls, which would be a huge help for Londoners struggling against the spiralling cost of living.

We froze transport fares for five years and supported free travel for under-18s and older people – both fiercely opposed by the Conservatives. We have created the first economic fairness unit to fight for workers’ rights, pay and conditions. We have ensured that Londoners who are unemployed, or in low-paid work, can retrain for free. And we have more than tripled the number of organisations paying the London living wage.

We have been tackling the causes of crime, and our innovative policies – such as investing in young people, not demonising them – coupled with effective enforcement, have already brought violent crime down significantly. Bold, compassionate and effective policies work. And as Labour politicians, I’m proud that we aren’t afraid to embrace them.