Sir Sadiq Khan has hinted at his next political step just hours after being embroiled in a bust-up with Donald Trump.
The London Mayor confirmed that he plans to run for a fourth term as London Mayor after suggestions.
There had been suggestions that he would “do a Burnham” and attempt to return to the House of Commons and challenge for the Labour leadership.
Sir Sadiq was asked about the challenge Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham appears to be making against Sir Keir Starmer.
He suggested that he will be attempting to retain his position as London Mayor.
“There is no reason I would give this job up for another job in politics,” Sir Sadiq told LBC.
“I love what I am doing. Londoners have lent me their votes not on one, not on two but on three occasions.
“As long as I continue to feel I can deliver for this great city of ours, I will carry on being the Mayor.”
Sir Sadiq Khan said he intends to run again for London Mayor
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While the next Mayoral Election is not until May 2028, it is the clearest Sir Sadiq has been about his intentions.
He was first elected to City Hall in 2016 and the first London Mayor to serve a third term.
There is currently no limit to how long he can remain as Mayor, except for being beaten at the ballot box.
That is as long as Labour continue to select him as the party’s candidate.
Sir Sadiq said that Mr Burnham was a “dear friend of mine” and was “raising legitimate concerns”.
“I have no intention of leaving this job for another job in politics,” the London Mayor said.
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham appears to be making a run for Labour leadership
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Sir Sadiq defeated Tory candidate Zac Goldsmith for the mayoral position in 2016.
He followed up that term with another victory in 2021, when Shaun Bailey was the Tory candidate.
Sir Sadiq attained the historic third term in 2024 hen he beat out Tory rival Susan Hall in the first mayoral election to be held under the “first past the post system”.
However, the next election in 2028 will go back to the “supplementary vote” system.
That means the top two candidates from the first round proceed to the next round, when second preference votes from people who voted from other candidates are used.
It could be favourable to Sir Sadiq who has only benefited from second preferences in the past.
Those votes have come over from the Greens and Liberal-Democrats.
Sir Sadiq told LBC that he had “given no intention that I’m not” running for a fourth term.
“So I’m not sure why people are drawing that conclusion,” he added.
Sir Sadiq said that he had not declared either way at this stage of the cycle last term.
“I’m not quite clear why people are suddenly drawing conclusions because I have not declared this time,” he said.
It comes after Sir Keir defended Sir Sadiq, regarding Donald Trump’s comments, on ITV.
The Prime Minister said: “There’s a few things we disagree about. This is one of them. The idea of the introduction of Sharia Law is nonsense”.