London Mayor Sadiq Khan is set to enter the House of Lords after being awarded a peerage by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, as part of a batch of 16 Labour-aligned figures handed honours in what appears to be one of the outgoing leader’s final acts in Downing Street.
The elevation of Khan, who has served as Mayor of London since 2016, comes just days before Sir Keir is expected to vacate No10, raising immediate questions about the timing and the scale of political appointments being made in the dying days of his premiership.
Khan joins 15 other Labour figures in the latest honours list authorised by the Prime Minister, a move that critics are likely to brand as a politically motivated exercise in rewarding loyalists before power changes hands.
The practice of outgoing prime ministers issuing resignation or farewell honours lists is a long-established tradition in British politics, though it has frequently attracted controversy. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced significant criticism over his own honours list, and the latest round of appointments is expected to reignite the broader debate about the legitimacy of prime ministerial patronage and the composition of the unelected upper chamber.
Khan, one of the most recognisable figures in British public life, has been a prominent and at times divisive presence in the capital. During his tenure as mayor, he has overseen London’s policing, transport, and housing policy, and has frequently clashed with Conservative governments over funding and policy priorities. His move to the Lords would give him a platform in national politics beyond City Hall.
The House of Lords already has more than 800 members, and campaigners for parliamentary reform have long argued that the chamber has become bloated with political appointees. The latest additions are likely to fuel renewed calls for reform of the appointments process, with critics arguing that the ability of a departing prime minister to hand out peerages to political allies undermines democratic accountability.
Opposition politicians were quick to react to the announcement. Senior Conservatives argued that the appointments represented exactly the kind of cronyism that Labour had previously pledged to root out, pointing to Sir Keir’s earlier rhetoric about cleaning up politics and restoring trust in public institutions.
Reform UK figures also seized on the news, with the party having made the abolition or radical overhaul of the Lords a key plank of its broader anti-establishment platform.
Downing Street defended the honours, with sources indicating that those elevated had made significant contributions to public life and that the appointments followed the standard processes and vetting procedures overseen by the House of Lords Appointments Commission.
However, the sheer number of Labour-affiliated figures in the list has drawn scrutiny, with commentators noting that the appointments would strengthen the Labour benches in the upper chamber at a politically sensitive moment.
The timing has also prompted questions about the nature of Khan’s future role. Having served the maximum permitted terms as London Mayor, he is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term in that office. A seat in the Lords would allow him to remain a significant voice in public debate, potentially positioning him for a future role in a Labour government or as a prominent backbench peer.
The broader context of prime ministerial honours has been a recurring source of controversy in recent British political history. Calls for the process to be made more transparent and independent have grown louder across the political spectrum, with some campaigners advocating for an elected second chamber to replace the current appointed system altogether.
As Sir Keir prepares to leave Downing Street, the peerages list serves as a reminder of the considerable powers of patronage that remain at the disposal of any sitting prime minister, powers that successive governments have promised to reform but few have moved decisively to curtail.
Typical isn’t it, reward your mates with peerages on the way out. Khan’s had his time and now gets a cushy seat in the Lords for it. The whole honours system is just a joke at this point.
Sadiq Khan getting a peerage honestly feels like a reward for failure. London’s knife crime, housing costs, ULEZ chaos… and he gets a seat in the Lords? What a joke. Labour really do look after their own don’t they.
Sadiq Khan getting a peerage feels a bit rich after everything that happened with London’s finances. Still, Labour looking after their own as usual I suppose. Nothing ever really changes does it.