LABOUR’S Sadiq Khan enjoys a commanding lead over Tory rival Zac Goldsmith on the eve of London’s mayoral election, an opinion poll showed yesterday.

Mr Khan is nine points ahead in the first round of voting and set to win by an even greater margin in the second round after other candidates have been excluded, according to the survey in the London Evening Standard.

It suggests attempts by the Tory campaign,  masterminded by infamous spin doctor Lynton Crosby, to close the gap by playing on fears of terrorism have not worked and may have even backfired.

Mr Goldsmith wrote an article for the Mail on Sunday warning of “catastrophe” for London if Mr Khan were elected on Thursday and sought to link his Labour rival with the July 7 bombings.

Former Tory chairwoman Sayeeda Warsi criticised the article and Mr Goldsmith later claimed not to have authored the piece.

Mr Khan, who would be London’s first Muslim mayor, used his final speech of a bitter campaign to urge voters yesterday to choose “hope over fear.”

He also put the city’s housing crisis at the forefront of the campaign.

Last night, Mr Khan voted against the Tories’ Housing Bill, while Mr Goldsmith backed it before rushing to an event in his leafy Richmond constituency with Prime Minister David Cameron and current Mayor Boris Johnson.

Mr Khan warned that the Bill would lead to rent rising by £100 a week, leaving the average monthly figure at a whopping £2,000.

“This Bill is a disaster for affordable housing in London, and Zac Goldsmith has defended it at every step of the way,” said Labour’s candidate.

“Which is why I can say with surety that if he wins on Thursday there will be no change on housing in London.”

lukejames@peoples-press.com