Sadiq Khan has been branded a “little dictator” in a scathing assessment by political commentator Emma Woolf as the London mayor struggles in the polls.
Tory hopeful Susan Hall is just three points behind Khan, according to a poll by JL Partners.
The 35 per cent to 32 per cent gap is a boost for Hall who was tipped for an uphill battle in her bid to oust the Labour mayor.
Political commentator Emma Woolf said the consensus was perhaps a result of backlash caused by his contentious expansion of Ulez (Ultra Low Emission Zone) to outer boroughs of London.
Emma Woolf has labelled Sadiq Khan a 'little dictator'
GB NEWS / PA
“So many Londoners feel that not only his policies are mad, but also he’s a little dictator”, she said on GB News.
“He makes decisions when he’s not consulting people. Things like Ulez really damage people who work and need their cars.
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“He hasn’t thought about what you do about those cars that aren’t allowed in the city and the cost of it all.”
Former Labour MP Stephen Pound was quick to defend the incumbent mayor, arguing that while Ulez has “affected” Londoners, there has perhaps not been the “uproar” anticipated.
GB News host Andrew Pierce contested the point, arguing there is “unrest” in London.
“Cameras are being vandalised and blocked,” he said.
Sadiq Khan has faced mounting pressure for his expansion of UlezPA“People are enraged, there is a great civil protest here.”
The expansion of Ulez means vehicles that do not meet minimum emissions standards are liable for a £12.50 daily charge if they are used anywhere in London.
To comply with the standards set out, petrol cars must generally have been first registered after 2005, while most diesel cars registered after September 2015 are also exempt from the charge.
In his bid to lower emissions and therefore reduce pollution, Khan has been met with fierce criticism, which now appears to be reflected in the latest polling.
Former Labour MP Stephen Pound has defended Khan's Ulez expansion
GB NEWS
The London Mayor vote will be conducted under a first-past-the-post electoral system for the first time after the Government passed new laws.
The contest will take place in May next year, likely to be a few months ahead of the general election.
According to The JL Partners poll for the Sun, Khan is on 35 per cent, with Hall on 32 per cent.
Reform candidate Howard Cox was on eight per cent, while the Green Party and Liberal Democrats were both on five per cent.
Hall has not been without criticism herself, with comments on an LBC appearance this morning risking the wrath of the Conservative Party after saying she would “obviously prefer” the HS2 line went ahead in full.
Her past social media comments have also been thrown into question, with Hall insisting she “can’t remember” supporting a post by Katie Hopkins which labelled Khan as “our nipple height mayor of Londonistan”.
She also defended liking a tweet with a picture of Enoch Powell, saying: “If you’re a serial tweeter, you tend to go through liking all sorts of things.
“If anybody is offended, then obviously I would apologise”.
Hall was also forced into an apology over a tweet where she called reality TV star Gemma Collins a “stupid fat blonde”, commenting: “People will throw these tweets at me and I accept it and if I offend anybody, I apologise.”
Speaking to Camilla Tominey on GB News earlier in the month, she pledged to do “everything she can” to tackle policies hindering motorists, including stopping the Ulez expansion “on day one”.