Local elections 2026: Who are London’s elected mayors?

Five London mayors have been elected in the local elections this week.

The capital has two Green mayors for the first time, marking a historic win for Zack Polanski’s party.

Green candidates Zoe Garbett and Liam Shrivastava stormed to victory in Hackney and Lewisham respectively.

The Conservatives held onto Croydon with their mayor Jason Perry, while Labour’s Forhad Hussain was elected in Newham.

In Tower Hamlets, independent Aspire Party mayor Lutfur Rahman was re-elected as the borough awaits full results on Saturday.

There are only five boroughs with directly elected mayors and unlike mayors in other boroughs, these elected mayors have control over council decisions and appoint their own cabinets to deliver on policy targets.

Elected mayors also control the borough regardless of the outcome of the councillors. For example, even though Newham fell to no overall control, Labour will still have control in the borough courtesy of its newly elected mayor.

So, who are London’s new elected mayors?

In her widely predicted victory, Ms Garbett won with 35,720 votes to Labour candidate Caroline Woodley’s 26,865.

Ms Garbett has advocated for change in the borough, prioritising social housing and overhauls to the healthcare system.

Speaking after her victory, Ms Garbett said: Today we start the fight back. In this election, over and over, people kept telling me that they felt let down.

“Council services are failing those who need them most, and people are struggling to make ends meet.

“To everyone who voted for me, I truly thank you for putting your trust in me today.

“Across London and the country, people have made it clear that they are desperate for an alternative to this failing Labour government.”

Green party leader Zack Polanski was full of praise for Ms Garbett, declaring her victory was the end of “two-party politics”.

The victory could be a case of “third time lucky” for Ms Garbett, who has run for Mayor Hackney twice before in 2022 and 2023. Both times she was beaten by Labour.

Ms Garbett also stood for London Mayor in 2024, but lost out to Labour’s Sir Sadiq Khan.

She has also played a key role in drafting the Green Party’s controversial drugs policy – which includes legalising all drugs in the UK.

In Hackney, Ms Garbett has planned to protect Ridley Road and reduce the cost of living crisis through food co-ops and networks.

Liam Shrivastava won Lewisham in a sensational victory that ousted Labour from its throne for the first time.

Mr Shrivastava won 35,265 votes, beating Labour’s Amanda De Ryk, who came in second with 30,374 votes.

The south London borough has only ever had a Labour mayor and in 2022, all seats on the council were won by Labour. Since then, three councillors have defected to Green and another joined the Greens after being suspended from the Labour party.

Mr Shrivastava’s win has therefore exceeded all expectations for the Green Party, with party leader Zack Polanski welcoming the “phenomenal result”.

The new Green Mayor of Lewisham has pushed for plans to “tackle inequality, invest locally, and create real change” throughout his campaign.

He was formerly a member of Sir Keir’s party but switched in mid-2025, citing that Labour had become “unrecognisable” from when he first joined.

Mr Shrivastava will have a long road ahead of him as Lewisham Council has faced significant financial challenges in recent years.

The borough was also criticised by the Housing Ombudsman for housing failures at the end of last year.

But the Green Party manifesto for the borough has pledged to retrofit existing council homes, bring empty homes back into use, campaign for rent controls, and establish a Rogue Landlord Taskforce. The party said it would deliver some 1,000 high-quality homes.

The Greens have also vowed to declare Lewisham a trans-friendly borough and set up an advisory panel for victims of the Windrush scandal.

Tory mayor Jason Perry has been reelected for a second term in Croydon after a closely-fought contest with Labour.

He won with 35,871 votes, up on the 33,413 in the last election, and narrowly beating Labour’s Rowena Davis who had 34,758 votes.

The Tory mayor is a passionate Crystal Palace fan. He grew up in a council house in Hamsey Green in the borough.

He has vowed to “restore pride” in Croydon and find a solution to the borough’s bankruptcy. As it stands, Croydon Council has declared bankruptcy on three occasions since 2020 due to mismanagement and failed investments.

It received a government bailout in 2025 but balancing the books will be Mr Perry’s biggest challenge as mayor.

Other priorities for Mr Perry have included “protecting family homes and the character of our neighbourhoods”, according to his website.

He has also pledged to tackle graffiti and shoplifting in the borough. In the year ending June 2025, Croydon logged 34,560 shoplifting offences, according to ONS data. This is lower than the London average and a reduction on the previous year.

In a post on X, Mr Perry said: “I am incredibly grateful to the people of Croydon for placing their trust in me once again

“Four years ago, I was elected to help rescue a borough that had been broken by bankruptcy, instability, and failure.

“Together, we have stabilised the Council, restored discipline and begun rebuilding pride in Croydon.”

He added that there is “still much more to do”, but today’s result is a “clear vote to keep Croydon moving forward.”

Labour’s Forhad Hussain secured 25,538 votes to become Newham’s Mayor.

He toppled Newham Independent Mehmood Mirza who won 20,234 votes and Green candidate Areeq Chowdhury, who had 18,999 votes.

In his victory speech, he vowed to work with “energy, humility, and determination to deliver for every part of our borough”, adding that the day’s results marked “a new chapter,” as reported by Newham Voices.

In campaign leaflets, Mr Hussain said he would “increase community pride”, “reduce crime and anti-social behaviour”, and strive to clean the streets to ensure “flytippers were properly punished”.

Mr Hussain was a Labour councillor in Plaistow North between 2010 and 2018, serving as a Cabinet Member for Commercial Opportunities and later as a Cabinet Member for Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour.

For the past eight years, Labour’s Rokhsana Fiaz OBE, has been the Mayor of Newham. There were doubts over Labour’s success in the borough following Ms Fiaz’s announcement in 2025 that she would not be standing for mayor for a third term.

Aspire Party leader and founder Lutfur Rahman won the mayoral race in Tower Hamlets.

Mr Rahman won 35,679 votes, down from the 39,533 he won in the last election.

He beat Labour candidate Sirajul Islam, who has been backed by London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, and the Green’s Hirra Khan Adeogun.

Mr Rahman has historically proved a controversial figure, having served a five-year election ban after being found guilty of electoral fraud in 2015. Accusations of the party’s “toxic” culture have also been rife since his election in 2022, even prompting Labour minister Steve Reed to threaten intervention.

Nevertheless, Mr Rahman has remained a popular figure in the borough, particularly among the Bangladeshi community.

His manifesto included promises to freeze council tax, create a homelessness fund, and introduce free travel for students from low income families.

Another big spending plan includes building an outdoor swimming pool in Victoria Park.

In a post on X, Mr Rahman wrote: “Thank you to the people of Tower Hamlets for re-electing me and continuing the revolution we started in 2022.

We became the first party outside Labour, Conservatives and Lib Dems to win a London borough outright, leading a shift away from the main parties which has now become a political earthquake felt across London and the UK.”

He added that he has “set an example” to the country with “transformative socialist policies.”

The borough is home to one of London’s largest economic hubs, Canary Wharf, but also maintains some of the highest poverty rates in London.