Starmer set to make Sadiq Khan a Lord: report
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is preparing to offer a peerage to London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan as the prime minister seeks to neutralise one of his most prominent internal critics ahead of what could be a bruising set of elections in May, the Financial Times reports.
The move, which would elevate the three-term London mayor to the House of Lords, comes as Starmer braces for expected heavy losses in local and devolved elections on 7 May, including contests for the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Senedd, and 136 English councils.
Some Labour MPs have privately predicted attempts to challenge Starmer’s leadership in the aftermath.
One source told the FT that talks had also touched on potentially offering Khan a cabinet position as part of a post-election reshuffle, though a Downing Street official pushed back on that suggestion, calling it incorrect.
Appointing Khan, who was knighted by Starmer in January 2025, would add to the prime minister’s already substantial use of honors. Starmer has created more peers than any of the previous four prime ministers, a record that has drawn criticism for swelling the upper chamber.
Khan, who secured a historic third term as London mayor in 2024, is regarded within Labour circles as an electoral asset.
His ability to attract “lent” votes from Green supporters to defeat right-wing candidates is seen as a model that national Labour figures hope to replicate in the next general election. He has also left open the possibility of seeking a fourth term as mayor.
The timing of any peerage for Khan would likely fuel accusations of cronyism, especially amid Starmer’s wider use of patronage.
Yet for a Prime Minister facing internal unrest and looming electoral tests, the potential benefits of co-opting a high-profile winner appear to outweigh the risks in the eyes of some in Downing Street.
