Five London borough mayors will be elected today in the 2026 local elections.
Londoners in Newham, Lewisham, Hackney, Croydon, and Tower Hamlets will all vote to decide who will serve as the political leaders of their councils.
These elected mayors rule over council decisions and appoint their own cabinet to deliver on housing, finance, and community targets.
As it stands, Newham, Hackney, and Lewisham all have Labour mayors, while Croydon has a Tory mayor. Tower Hamlets is the exception with independent party Aspire having won control of the council in 2022.
Just outside of London, Watford will also be voting for its own mayor. Currently, the position is occupied by Liberal Democrat Peter Taylor, who has been in office since 2018.
Sir Keir Starmer has been under pressure to defend his majority 21 councils and has faced challenges from the Greens in inner boroughs and independents in east London.
The Tories will also be looking to hold onto its six councils, while Nigel Farage’s Reform UK looks to secure its first London council.
This pressure is expected to be reflected in the mayoral elections, with the Greens honing in on Hackney and Reform making moves in Croydon.
So, who can you vote for in the mayoral elections and who will win?
Tower Hamlets
Aspire Party leader and Mayor of Tower Hamlets Lutfur Rahman has been at the helm of the east London borough since 2022.
Mr Rahman’s manifesto, published last week, comprises a number of big spending plans, including free travel for students from low income families and an outdoor swimming pool in Victoria Park.
He has also pledged to freeze council tax, create a homelessness fund, and reverse Labour’s closure of the Isle of Dogs police station.
However, the Aspire Party has not been without its controversies. Mr Rahman served a five-year election ban after he was found liable for electoral fraud in 2015 and accusations have been rife about the party’s “toxic” political culture.
Labour minister Steve Reed has also threatened intervention against the party, particularly after two of its councillors were found to be standing as parliamentary candidates in Bangladesh.
Mr Ali, another independent in the running, is a barrister in London who has proposed building 5,000 affordable and social homes, as well as 10,000 apprenticeship and job opportunities. He has also vowed to forfeit three months pay for resident services.
Ms Adeogun is the Green’s candidate for mayor and has advocated for a “fairer” Tower Hamlets “as an immigrant in a borough which has been created by immigrants.”
Labour’s Sirajul Islam has been a councillor for the Bethnal Green East seat for 25 years. He has been backed by Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan, who said Mr Islam has the “values, vision, and integrity” to become Tower Hamlets’ mayor.
All the mayoral candidates for Tower Hamlets
- Zami Ali - Tower Hamlets Independents
- John Gerald Bullard - Reform UK
- Mohammed Abdul Hannan - Liberal Democrats
- Sirajul Islam - Labour Party
- Hirra Khan Adeogun - Green Party
- Terence McGrenera - Independent
- Dominic Aidan Nolan - Conservative Party
- Hugo Pierre - Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
- Lutfur Rahman - Aspire Party
As for the winner, the Aspire Party has lost control since its win in 2022 after a number of councillors resigned.
But, past polls have still pegged Mr Rahman and his party to retain control over Tower Hamlets.
Newham
Labour has had control over Newham since the borough’s inception. However, a distrust in Keir Starmer’s party could see Labour lose its grip.
Labour has elected a new candidate, Forhad Hussain, who has vowed to improve services. But he will be faced by Mehmood Mirza, a candidate for the Newham Independents Party.
Mr Mirza has attributed Labour’s downfall to Sir Keir’s stance on Gaza and Iran - a sentiment also being pushed by the Green’s mayoral candidate Areeq Chowdhury.
Mr Malik, running for independent Communities United Party, is a controversial candidate for Newham. Mr Malik was jailed on two occasions for illegally offering immigration advice.
All the mayoral candidates for Newham
- Terri Bloore - Local Conservatives
- Areeq Chowdhury - Green Party
- Clive Furness - Reform UK
- Forhad Hussain - Labour Party
- Kamran Malik - Communities United Party
- Mehmood Mirza - Newham Independents Party
- Bharath Swamy - Christian Peoples Alliance
- Laura Claire Willoughby - Liberal Democrats.
While it is unlikely that Labour will be completely dethroned, past polls have suggested they will lose their majority to the likes of Newham’s Independents and the Greens.
The mayoral election will be all to play for.
Croydon
Incumbent Tory mayor Jason Perry was elected in 2022 and has vowed to stabilise finances, clean up streets, and “restore pride”.
He has slammed Labour for bulldozing family homes, concreting green spaces, and building blocks of flats, accusing Starmer’s party of running Croydon “to the ground”.
However, the party has no overall majority on the council and has become the target for parties like Reform UK.
Reform UK has put forward ex-Tory Ben Flook, but Mr Flook’s appointment caused shockwaves across the party. Several Reform members in Croydon quit following Mr Flook’s announcement.
One of those was party favourite Dan Milner-Tebbutt, who accused Mr Flook of being driven by “career ambition” and not “love of the borough”
All the mayoral candidates for Croydon
- Rowenna Davis - Labour
- Ben Flook - Reform UK
- Ben Goldstone - Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
- Richard Michael Howard - Liberal Democrats
- Jose Joseph - Independent
- Jason Perry - Conservatives
- Michael Pusey - Taking The Initiative Party
- Peter Underwood - Green Party
Now, the borough looks likely to become a “patchwork borough” with no overall control, according to past forecasts. Though, Mr Perry has polled as favourite for mayor in the past.
Hackney
Since Hackney introduced an elected mayor in 2022, the position has always been held by Labour.
Philip Glanville held onto the role from 2016 to 2022, but was forced to resign after being photographed at a party with a convicted paedophile and former Hackney councillor Tom Dewey.
Caroline Woodley has since occupied the post, but her future is uncertain as past polls predict that the position will be lost to the Green Party.
Zoe Garbett has proven popular with Hackney residents and has pitched overhauls of the healthcare system, including being a vocal advocate for the legalisation of drugs, and prioritising cost of living and social housing reforms.
If elected, she will appoint 19-year old Dylan Law as her deputy. The pair believe that Mr Law’s lived experience in the borough and Ms Garbett’s NHS experience will make them strong contenders for the roles.
All the mayoral candidates for Hackney
- Vahid Almasi - Reform UK
- Zoë Garbett - Green Party
- Tareke Gregg - Conservative Party
- Eva Steinhardt - Liberal Democrats
- Caroline Woodley - Labour and Co-operative Party
An interesting situation could arise if the Greens win the mayoral election, but Labour retain control of the borough.
However, past polls have predicted that Zack Polanski’s party will win both.
Lewisham
Lewisham has only ever had a directly elected Labour mayor.
In 2022, all seats on the council were won by Labour, though three councillors have now defected to Green. Another councillor was suspended by Labour and also joined the Greens.
The incumbent mayor Brenda Dacres was elected in a by-election in 2024 and was the first Black woman to assume the role. However, she will not be running again this year.
Instead, Amanda De Ryk will run for Sir Keir’s party. Ms De Ryk has held roles in the council as Cabinet Member for Finance and believes that she can be trusted to keep the borough’s finances stable.
Liam Shrivastava is the Green’s candidate for the mayoral race and is the councillor for the New Cross Gate ward. He has pushed for plans to “tackle inequality, invest locally, and create real change.”
All the mayoral candidates for Lewisham
- Jay Coward - Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
- Kayode Damali - Independent
- Amanda De Ryk - Labour and Co-operative Party
- Josh Matthews - Liberal Democrats
- Roger Mighton - Independent
- Peter Newman - Reform UK
- Liam Shrivastava - Green Party
- Sylbourne Sydial - Conservative Party
Previous polls have suggested that Labour may have to give up control of Lewisham as the Greens swoop in to bring the council to no overall control.
The mayoral elections have been predicted to go either way for Lewisham.
