Labour’s Sadiq Khan will secure a historic third term as London mayor, seeing off Tory challenger Susan Hall, according to Sky News projections.
It comes after “wild rumours” the incumbent could have suffered a shock defeat, although both sides subsequently said they believed Mr Khan would cling on.
The pair had repeatedly clashed during the campaign, fought out amid concerns about knife crime and the handling of pro-Palestinian marches in the capital.
Follow live:
The results as they come in
Just recently, Mr Khan had described his Conservative rival as the “most dangerous candidate I have fought against” over her past social media activity.
Hitting back, Ms Hall said she had “learnt” from her mistakes and branded his comment “outrageous”.
A clear dividing line between the candidates had been Mr Khan’s controversial expansion of the ultra low emission zone (ULEZ), which has been the subject of ongoing protests and which Ms Hall had pledged to scrap.
Boris Johnson pays tribute to polling station staff who refused to let him vote without photo ID
Conservatives suffer worst local election results in years – with London and West Midlands mayoral votes still to come
Sky News projection: Labour on course to be largest party – but short of overall majority
Search for your council name or postcode to find the result where you live
During the race, the Conservatives were forced to delete a clip used in an advert against Mr Khan’s record on crime after it emerged it used footage of a stampede at a New York subway station.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive Breaking News alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News App. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.