Hall was selected ahead of more high-profile Conservative candidates, including former London minister Paul Scully. Scully told the BBC on Saturday that his party had run an “incredibly disappointing campaign” in the capital and accused the Conservatives of focusing too much on Khan as an individual.
During the campaign, Hall took aim at Khan over his controversial expansion of the capital’s ultra-low emissions zone, an accusation against drivers of highly polluting vehicles which the Conservatives successfully opposed in a Westminster by-election last year.
Hall said she would abandon expansion on “day one.”
Hall’s candidacy also generated controversy after she liked tweets praising the late right-wing politician Enoch Powell and some containing Islamophobic abuse towards Khan, a practicing Muslim.
Knife crime in London also made headlines during the campaign, with a deadly sword attack in the London suburb of Hainaut dominating the final days of the race.
A spokesperson for Khan said on Sunday that Londoners had “clearly rejected the extremely negative and divisive campaign being led by the Conservatives”.
Khan, who was previously a Labor MP and minister, will now be the capital’s longest-serving mayor. In addition to rising crime in the capital, his bid for a third term includes housing affordability and oversight of the Metropolitan Police under fire.
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
Politico
