Greens Win First Mayors and Two Councils in London

TL;DR: The Green Party broke new ground in London, electing mayors in Hackney and Lewisham and gaining control of Waltham Forest and Hackney councils for the first time.

London’s political map has shifted dramatically after Thursday’s elections. Labour, which previously ran 21 of the city’s 32 boroughs, lost key strongholds. The Green Party emerged as a decisive force, securing two mayoralties and two council majorities.

Zoë Garbett became the capital’s first directly elected Green mayor after winning the Hackney mayoral race, a seat long held by Labour. Hours later, former Labour councillor Liam Shrivastava was elected Green mayor of Lewisham, marking another historic first for the party.

In council contests, the Greens seized control of both Waltham Forest and Hackney, wresting them from Labour’s long‑term dominance. These victories give the Greens a foothold in two of London’s most populous boroughs and a platform to influence local policy on housing, transport and climate action.

The results reshape London’s partisan landscape. While Conservatives reclaimed Westminster and made gains in Wandsworth, and Reform UK captured Havering, Labour retained boroughs such as Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Brent and Hounslow. Nonetheless, the loss of inner‑city councils and mayoral seats signals a significant erosion of Labour’s base in the capital.

For the Greens, the wins provide an unprecedented opportunity to implement their agenda at the borough level and test their governance model ahead of national elections. Their performance also puts pressure on Labour leader Keir Starmer to address the concerns of London voters who appear receptive to greener policies.

Watch how the new Green administrations manage housing shortages and climate initiatives, and whether Labour can regroup to reclaim lost ground in the next electoral cycle.