Favourability ratings among Londoners

Keir Starmer: 40% favourable / 44% unfavourable
Sadiq Khan: 40% / 52%
Jeremy Corbyn: 33% / 55%
Rishi Sunak: 26% / 64%
Susan Hall*: 22% / 21%
Jeremy Hunt: 18% / 61%

*New Tory mayoral candidate, 57% say "don't know"https://t.co/YEYoGBrGyS pic.twitter.com/BcF0lLee6C

— YouGov (@YouGov) August 22, 2023

Back in July Jeremy Corbyn refused to rule out running for Mayor of London next year and I speculated this could potentially hand the London Mayoralty to the Tories and this recent polling from YouGov makes me think Corbyn really could do one final service to the Tory party.

With the election now first past the post rather than the supplementary vote system Corbyn standing could hand the Tories the election, he could take enough votes from Khan. Those ratings means Corbyn is unlikely to win the London Mayoralty as some of his most committed supporters (mostly on social media) believe he could.

So my betting strategy would be to lay Corbyn forthe London Mayoralty and occasionally top up on Susan Hall.

If Corbyn’s candidature does hand the London Mayoralty to the Tories then it would cement his position as the greatest Tory enabling Labour leader since Ramsay MacDonald.

TSE