Nearly HALF of Londoners think Sadiq Khan is doing a bad job as Mayor in worst approval rating yet

Almost half of Londoners think Sadiq Khan is doing a bad job as Mayor in his worst approval rating yet, a new survey has revealed. 

According to a YouGov poll, 48 per cent of adults in the capital say Mr Khan is performing badly, while more than a quarter of those surveyed said he was doing ‘very badly.’ 

Meanwhile, just 38 per cent of respondents said they think he is doing ‘well’, representing a seven per cent drop since the last such survey in March 2021. 

The former MP for Tooting – who has been mayor of London since 2016 – now has a net approval rating of minus ten. 

It is the first time the 51 year old has entered negative territory, according to YouGov. 

Even 2019 Labour voters disapprove of his handling of housing and crime, the stats show, in what will be sober reading for the career politician.  

It is a stark contrast to his ratings following his first year as Mayor in May 2017, when 61 per cent of Londoners believed he was doing a good job. 

According to a YouGov poll, 48 per cent of adults in the capital say Sadiq Khan (pictured) is performing badly as Mayor, while more than a quarter of those surveyed said he was doing ‘very badly.’

Just 38 per cent of respondents said they think he is doing ‘well’, representing a seven per cent drop since the last survey in March 2021

The low approval rating comes after he was re-elected to the role in May last year after winning 55 per cent of the votes in a second-round run off against Conservative rival Shaun Bailey. 

However Mr Khan performed better than other leaders in the poll, which was conducted between January 7 and 10, including Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Boris Johnson. 

Only 33 per cent of Londoners believe Sir Keir is doing a good job, dropping to just 21 per cent for the embattled PM.   

Abigail Axe-Browne, research manager at YouGov, said: ‘Almost a year into his second term as Mayor of London, and for the first time since YouGov started asking in 2017, more Londoners think Sadiq Khan is doing badly than well.

‘While he is retaining support amongst 2019 Labour voters, his scores have declined notably among them over the past year.

‘On three key areas he has responsibility for – crime, housing and transport – more Londoners think he is performing badly than believe he is performing well. 

‘Perhaps more damaging for the Mayor is the fact 2019 Labour voters also tend to disapprove of his handling of housing and crime.’

It comes as knife crime continues to take its toll on the capital’s young people – with 30 teenagers losing their lives to the scourge last year. 

The crime epidemic among the youth overshadows the fact that, as his allies insist, overall crime is coming down, including homicides, burglaries  and gun violence.   

Mr Khan has warned of cuts to Tube and bus services if he is unable to secure a long-term funding agreement with the Government for Transport for London (TfL) 

Abigail Axe-Browne, research manager at YouGov, said: ‘On three key areas he has responsibility for – crime, housing and transport – more Londoners think he is performing badly than believe he is performing well.’ 

Mr Khan performed better than other leaders in the poll, including Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Boris Johnson 

There have also been ongoing transport woes causing headaches for Londoners, including Tube strikes and the controversial Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs). 

Mr Khan has warned of cuts to Tube and bus services if he is unable to secure a long-term funding agreement with the Government for Transport for London (TfL). 

The transport body has experienced severe drops in revenues due to the Covid lockdowns and amid a shift to working from home for thousands of workers. 

 Meanwhile, the development of more LTNs will still go ahead despite their unpopularity – and after they were accused of making little impact on pollution and simply moving congestion and emissions to other areas.

The scheme involves installing cycle lanes, closing off roads to through traffic and widening pavements. 

Emergency services have said they impact on their ability to respond to incidents quickly, although studies have also shown they have helped to reduce injuries to pedestrians and car passengers in areas where they have been introduced. 

Mr Khan’s Conservative rivals accuse him of lacking ambition when it comes to providing affordable homes – however his allies say more work on council homes was started last year than at any time since the 1970s.  

A London Labour source told the Evening Standard: ‘Sadiq was overwhelmingly re-elected nine months ago and is getting on with the job of delivering a greener, safer, fairer city for all Londoners.’ 

The figures show he is less popular in outer London, where 51 per cent of residents believe he is doing badly – dropping to 43 per cent in inner London.  

And he is much more popular among 18-24 year olds, with only 37 per cent of people in that age group believing him to be performing badly.

He is most disliked by over 65s, with 56 per cent of such residents saying he is doing a bad job.