Mark Hamill says Londoners should vote for the Labour mayor “for a fairer, safer and greener London”, reports Noah Vickers, Local Democracy Reporter
Star Wars actor Mark Hamill has endorsed Sadiq Khan, saying the mayor should be re-elected on Thursday because he has been a driving “force” in “cleaning up London’s air.”
The impressive endorsement coincides with the announcement by over 80 business executives that they, too, are supporting the Labour mayor; however, some of them are Labour council members or have strong ties to the party.
In the well-known movie series, Hamill played the Jedi knight Luke Skywalker. He shared a picture of himself with Khan on social media with the caption, “I LOVE London! We spent years living and filming in St. John’s Wood, where our first kid was born.
“On May 2, I firmly believe that Sadiq Khan should be elected mayor. He has been a major motivator in
“Vote for Sadiq Khan for a fairer, safer, and greener London!”
The mayor “has supported London’s businesses large and small through tough times, and is the right candidate to deliver growth in London’s economy,” according to the 83 business leaders who endorsed him collectively.
In addition to a number of well-known individuals, like Sir George Iacobescu, chairman of Canary Wharf Group, the list of names includes at least four current Labour council members: Munsur Ali, Brendan Chilton, Paul Dimoldenberg, and Ibrahim Dogus.
The list also includes Sushil Saluja, the spouse of Labour MP Seema Malhotra, Labour Lord Sonny Leong CBE, current MP candidate Kevin Craig, and past parliamentary candidate Chris Ostrowski.
Another name is Iain Anderson, who defected from the Conservatives to the Labour Party last year after serving as Boris Johnson’s business adviser. As the creator of the Cicero public relations firm, he has been tasked by Labour to devise a strategy for integrating business into the government in the event that they win the upcoming general election.
In the meantime, a poll released on Wednesday indicated that the mayor’s lead over Tory challenger Susan Hall may have shrunk to ten points, indicating that the election may have become more competitive in recent days.
In the most recent Savanta study, Khan scored 42% and Hall 32%. Green Party candidate Zoe Garbett is at 8%, Liberal Democrat Rob Blackie is at 10%, and Howard Cox of Reform UK is at 3%.
Tomorrow, on Thursday, May 2, there will be elections for the London Assembly as well as the mayor of London.
