Susan Hall campaigns at Sadiq Khan's childhood home without realising

The Tory London mayoral candidate said that she is the ‘underdog’ in the race, but is ‘fighting extremely hard’
Noah Vickers23 April 2024

Tory mayoral candidate Susan Hall took her campaign on Tuesday to Sadiq Khan’s childhood home without realising.

The Conservatives’ City Hall contender visited Earlsfield’s Henry Prince Estate to learn about local issues with crime, though she admitted to ITV London that she had been unaware it was the very estate where her Labour opponent was raised.

Mr Khan grew up there in a three-bedroom council flat as one of seven children - sharing a bedroom with two of his brothers.

Asked why she had come there specifically, Ms Hall told the Standard: “I’ve come to lots of estates in London - you just happen to be with me when I’m on this one.”

One of Ms Hall’s campaign team had earlier said that Ms Hall's visit to the estate showed that their candidate is “listening to Londoners” from across the capital, not just those living in the most Tory-voting areas of outer London.

According to the latest YouGov poll, Ms Hall is some 50 points behind Mr Khan in inner London. The Labour mayor polls at 64 per cent in the inner boroughs, with Ms Hall on 14 per cent.

In outer London, he leads her by 5 points, on 38 per cent to her 33 per cent. Across Greater London, his lead is 19 points, on 46 per cent to her 27 per cent.

Ms Hall said: “I never comment on polls. The big poll will be on May 2. I know I’m the underdog, but I am fighting extremely hard.”

The candidate was also quizzed on her plans to help London’s renters. Asked whether the city’s private tenants have enough rights, she said: “I think sometimes tenants are not treated as well as they could be, but equally, I know that sometimes tenants cause major problems within the home, so there’s no one answer [that] fits all there.”

Mr Khan has emphasised in his manifesto how he has “stood up for renters”, including by lobbying ministers to ban Section 21 notices - also known as ‘no fault’ evictions. The Government has promised to deliver such a ban before the next general election.

But Ms Hall suggested she had mixed feelings on whether an outright ban is needed.

“This is a very complex issue,” she said. “Sometimes landlords have to evict people - I think giving them enough notice is important.

“The real thing here though is we need more homes... If there were more homes, then landlords would possibly be far more appreciative of their tenants, but it would also give people more options to go and rent elsewhere.”

She criticised Mr Khan for filling his London Plan - an official strategy for development in the capital - with “bureaucracy”, which she argued had slowed the delivery of new homes.

Tory mayoral candidate Susan Hall talking to a local business-owner on the Henry Prince Estate in Earlsfield
Tory mayoral candidate Susan Hall talking to a local business-owner on the Henry Prince Estate in Earlsfield, where her opponent Sadiq Khan grew up
Noah Vickers/Local Democracy Reporting Service

‘Provisional’ figures for the final months of 2023 showed that house-building in the city has hit a record low - with just 580 homes started across Greater London between October and December.

Mr Khan said this was partly due to a lack of certainty from the Government on fire safety rules, but also national challenges being faced by the house-building sector.

Ms Hall’s manifesto promises “to boost investment in Build to Rent schemes, delivering purpose-built rented homes”.

The mayoral candidate was joined on her visit to Earlsfield by Conservative councillor Angela Graham, who introduced her to residents and explained local concerns about crime.

Susan Hall preparing for an interview with BBC London at the Henry Prince Estate in Earlsfield, where Sadiq Khan grew up
Susan Hall preparing for an interview with BBC London at the Henry Prince Estate in Earlsfield, where Sadiq Khan grew up
Noah Vickers/Local Democracy Reporting Service

Ms Hall said: “I do want to make sure that there are more police locally, which is why I’d go back to borough-based policing. I’ll put in two new ‘hubs’ into each of the boroughs to make sure that the police are actually stationed near the community that they’re going to be serving.

“Because then, if we had local police here, they could walk through this estate - and it would certainly give people a much better feeling of safety. Particularly women, I must say - if women see police officers around, they would generally feel much safer.”

Mr Khan had earlier on Tuesday announced plans for a £3m “gangbusters” crackdown on high street crime - including proposals for street-based youth workers, “focused on those key after-school hours when young people are most likely to get caught up in crime in their local areas”.

The London mayoral election is on Thursday, May 2, along with elections to the London Assembly.

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