London Mayor Khan appointed to Lords as PM Starmer announces 26 new appointments

LONDON: London’s British-Pakistani Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has been awarded a life peerage as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced 26 new appointments to the House of Lords before leaving office.

Sir Sadiq, Britain’s most senior Muslim politician and the first Muslim Mayor of London, is among 16 political appointments made by Sir Keir. He will join the House of Lords alongside former cabinet secretary Sir Chris Wormald and retired senior judge Sir Brian Leveson, both of whom will sit as crossbench peers.

Downing Street said King Charles III had been “graciously pleased to signify his intention of conferring peerages” on the new appointees.

Government sources described Sir Sadiq as a “brilliant mayor who has transformed London for the better”, highlighting reductions in violent crime, improvements in air quality, the delivery of the Elizabeth Line and increased council house construction during his tenure.

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said City Hall “continues to be the privilege of Sadiq’s life” and that he remains focused on “building a fairer, safer and greener London for everyone”. The spokesperson added that Sir Sadiq was honoured to receive the peerage.

Sir Sadiq is not seeking a ministerial position and has not yet decided whether he will stand for another term as Mayor of London, a post he has held since his historic election in 2016.

Born in Tooting, south London, to Pakistani immigrant parents from Islamabad, Sir Sadiq Khan is the son of a bus driver and a seamstress.

Raised on a council estate, he studied law before working as a human rights solicitor and later entered politics as the Labour MP for Tooting. His rise from a working-class British-Pakistani family to becoming Mayor of London has frequently been cited as one of Britain’s most notable political success stories.

Sir Keir also approved five peerage nominations from Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey and three from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch.

The House of Lords currently has around 774 members, making it one of the world’s largest legislative chambers. Despite Labour being in government, the Conservatives remain the largest political group in the Lords with 246 peers, compared with Labour’s 216. There are also 156 crossbench peers and 74 Liberal Democrat peers.