Sadiq Khan says Labour is months away from seizing Tory strongholds in London

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Sadiq Khan will vow there is “no corner of London where Labour can’t win” as he spearheads his party’s efforts to win over long-standing Tory councils in the capital.

Labour will target Tory “crown jewels” in their local election push, including Wandsworth, which has been held by the Conservatives since 1974, and Barnet – once dubbed “Easycouncil” for adopting the no-frills approach of budget airlines by charging for non-essential services.

In a speech to party activists, the London Mayor will promise to make Brexit a key part of the election strategy, in an effort to win over the city’s pro-Remain voters who bucked the national trend in the EU referendum.

Railing against “pursuing a hard Brexit at any cost”, he will also take aim at air quality, police cuts and affordable housing shortages as Labour seeks to capitalise on their general election gains for May’s local council vote.

Mr Khan, who has previously spoken critically of Jeremy Corbyn, will say the party is going from "strength to strength".

He will say: “Labour in London is going from strength to strength. Under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, we achieved the best results in London since 2001 in this year’s general election.

“However, Londoners that desperately need Labour in power across London cannot afford for us to be complacent about the upcoming local elections.

“That’s why we must keep taking the fight to the Tories – who are weaker and more divided than ever – and I pledge to lead Labour members in that fight.”

He will add: “There is now no corner of London where Labour can’t win – and with enough hard work we can challenge the Tories even in their Crown Jewels of Wandsworth and Barnet.

“As we have shown in City Hall, Labour in power can change lives for the better – from freezing TfL fares to tackling air pollution. If Labour can win control of more councils, we can truly transform the lives of Londoners.”

His speech comes as Labour continued efforts to keep the party on an election footing with campaign events across the country.

Mr Corbyn was due to make a speech to party faithful highlighting figures that show average workers will earn £858 less per year by 2022 than expected as gloomy economic growth forecasts set out in the Budget hit pay packets.

The Labour leader will accuse the Government of presiding over a “completely broken” economy which will leave many ordinary workers worse off than before the financial crisis.