Sadiq Khan poll: London mayor’s approval ratings plummet to all-time low

The London mayor’s approval rating has plummeted to an all-time low, polls have revealed.

More Londoners think Sadiq Khan is doing badly compared to well for the first time since he was elected mayor in 2016, a YouGov poll of political attitudes has discovered.

The survey shows 48% of adults in the capital believe Mr Khan is doing a bad job, while 38% think he is doing well - while just 14% say they don’t know.

His positive rating dropped by seven percentage points since the last survey in March 2021.

And the results gave him an overall approval score of -10, which is the first time he has dropped below zero, according to polling site YouGov’s tracking systems.

A spokesperson said Mr Khan, who became the first Labour mayor to win two back-to-back terms, was “delivering a greener, safer, fairer city for all Londoners”.

Allies highlight his popularity, winning a record 1.3m votes in his first bid to run City Hall, and say violent crime figures, including homicides, are coming down

But opponents branded the mayor as “lacking urgency” and a “total disaster for London”.

Pollsters have been surveying adults in the capital since 2017, and this is the first time more Londoners have taken a critical stance on Khan’s mayoralty.

In March 2021, 45% thought he was doing well, versus 42% who viewed him negatively.

However, among those who voted Labour in 2019, 52% said he was performing well, versus 33% who disagreed - a drop from 64% and a rise from 25% respectively.

On housing, transport and crime, 56%, 49% and 60% of Londoners think he is doing badly.

While just 21% of Londoners think Boris Johnson is doing a good job as prime minister - with over three times as many (71%) saying he is performing badly in his role.

But the figures were collected prior to developments in the ‘partygate’ scandal this week, which saw the Met Police announce they were investigating allegations of rule-breaking.

And more than twice as many Londoners disapprove of Metropolitan Police commissioner Dame Cressida Dick’s performance - at 52% disapproval versus 22% approval.

City Hall Conservative group leader Susan Hall wrote on Twitter: “This was always going to happen. Despite billions from the government to build houses Khan has failed.

“Despite saying he would have fewer strikes Khan has failed and quite frankly on the safety of Londoners… yes, he is a total disaster for London.”

She added in a separate tweet: “Khan is doing badly, very badly. I’m so pleased Londoners are beginning to see through him!”

Zack Polanski, from the Green Party group at City Hall, said: “Whilst the Mayor gets it right in some areas, he’s lacking the critical urgency that is required from a range of issues.

“Londoners are increasingly clear on what they want from a Mayor and support ideas like a Universal Basic Income and rent controls; it’s time we get the ball rolling on them.”

A London Labour source said: “Sadiq was overwhelmingly re-elected nine months ago and is getting on with the job of delivering a greener, safer, fairer city for all Londoners.”