Sadiq Khan is poised to emerge victorious over Zac Goldsmith in the London mayoral race as counting for the contest closes.

With verification of the votes now complete, Mr Khan has extended his lead over Mr Goldsmith, with the pair's rivals lagging far behind. All that remains is final adjudication.

The Green Party's candidate Sian Berry was in third place, followed by Lib Dem Caroline Pidgeon, Ukip's Peter Whittle, Sophie Walker from the Women's Equality Party, George Galloway for Respect, Paul Golding from Britain First, Lee Harris of Cannabis is Safer than Alcohol (Cista), BNP's David Furness, independent Prince Zylinski, and Ankit Love, from the One Love Party.

A live tracker on the count’s progress can be found on the London Elects website here.

Mr Goldsmith’s campaign drew criticism from opponents, as well as some members of his own party.

Andrew Boff, the Conservative group leader on the Greater London Assembly, said the “outrageous” tactics had “blown up” bridges built with London's Muslim communities.

Nastiest moments in the London mayoral election

“I mentioned that I thought this was a mistake for future integration in London. If you are a London politician this is just a bizarre thing to do,” he said.

“It was effectively saying that people of conservative religious views are not to be trusted and you shouldn't share a platform with them. That's outrageous.”

Speaking before the count started, a Labour source said Mr Khan's team was “optimistic” about his chances but did not believe the large leads shown by previous polls.

The final survey, carried out as voting started on Thursday, showed the Labour campaign ahead by 43 per cent to Mr Goldsmith’s 32 on first preference.

Mayor of London 2016 - the candidates at a glance Show all 7 1 /7 Mayor of London 2016 - the candidates at a glance Mayor of London 2016 - the candidates at a glance Sadiq Khan - Labour The MP for Tooting, Sadiq Khan says the mayoral election will be a 'referendum on the Tory housing crisis'. He has also pledged to freeze fares until 2020. Son of a bus driver, and doesn't let anyone forget it. His Conservative opponent has made claims about people who he has previously associated with - but attacks so far have failed to stick Mayor of London 2016 - the candidates at a glance Zac Goldsmith - Conservative The MP for Richmond, Zac Goldsmith is a longstanding campaigner against the expansion of Heathrow airport. Despite his environment credentials - he once edited The Ecologist magazine - the Tory candidate has said he would 'rip out' Boris Johnson's cycle lanes if they don't work. A very wealthy man, his campaign has been dogged by accusations of racism against Sadiq Khan Mayor of London 2016 - the candidates at a glance Sian Berry - Green Party A councillor in the London Borough of Camden, Sian Berry is campaigning on improving homes for renters, cleaning up London's air pollution, and flattening fare zones to help Londoners. She previously ran as the party's mayoral candidate in 2008. In 2012, the Green Party came in third place Mayor of London 2016 - the candidates at a glance Caroline Pidgeon - Liberal Democrat A Liberal Democrat London Assembly member for eight years, Caroline Pidgeon has a strong record on the Assembly's transport committee standing up for commuters and cyclists alike. She wants to set up a £2 billion housing investment fund and make all the capital's buses zero emission Mayor of London 2016 - the candidates at a glance Peter Whittle - UKIP UKIP hasn't fared so well in London in previous elections, but is hoping for a breakthrough this time. Peter Whittle has been UKIP's culture spokesperson for two years. He tends to focus on the impact of immigration on London's housing crisis Mayor of London 2016 - the candidates at a glance George Galloway - RESPECT George Galloway has made a habit of defying the odds and pulling off stunning victories when standing for Parliament. His campaign - based on the slogan 'a London for all' has so far failed to make headway in the polls - has his luck run out? Mayor of London 2016 - the candidates at a glance Sophie Walker - Women's Equality Party A journalist, Sophie Walker is campaigning for the little-known Women's Equality Party. She is pledging to make 'equality and diversity the fuel that drives our nation's capital' with measures to increase women's representation in enterprise, more affordable homes and flexible childcare

In the final run-off, according to the YouGov poll for the Evening Standard, Mr Khan was heading for a victory that would make him the capital’s first Muslim mayor by a 57 to 43 margin.

Since YouGov’s last survey a fortnight ago, Mr Khan’s lead has fallen from 16 points to 11 points on first preferences, and is down from a landslide 20 points in the run-off to 14.

A win for the Labour politician, who has been the MP for Tooting since 2005, would be a boost for his party after a disastrous performance in Scotland.

Jeremy Corbyn said he would work to re-build support north of the border after Labour lost 13 seats in the Scottish Parliament, being pushed into third place by the resurgent Scottish Conservatives.

It maintained control of the Welsh Assembly, where Ukip took seats for the first time, and has lost one English council so far.