Elevating Sir Sadiq Khan to the House of Lords would be to the detriment of Londoners, members of the London Assembly have argued.
By Kumail Jaffer, Local Democracy Reporter
Elevating Sir Sadiq Khan to the House of Lords would be to the detriment of Londoners, members of the London Assembly have argued.
Last week it was reported that the Mayor of London was set to be offered a peerage by the Prime Minister after the local elections in May.
Labour Party sources suggested it would help bring one of Sir Keir Starmer’s most high-profile critics into the fold if Labour lose swathes of council seats in London and beyond.
But allies of Sir Sadiq, a former Cabinet minister, rejected the notion that any conversations had taken place.
London Assembly Members have welcomed this dismissal in recent days, suggesting that the Mayor needed to focus on serving the Londoners who voted him in.
“Sadiq Khan is already a distracted Mayor, spending more time grand standing than focusing on fixing the issues facing London,” Conservative Assembly Member Thomas Turrell told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).
“Housebuilding has collapsed under his Mayoralty, the police are facing a recruitment crisis and transport upgrades like the new DLR and Piccadilly trains are now late and millions over budget.
“He needs to focus on the job he already has. A peerage would be another distraction and it is Londoners who would lose out even more.”
There are currently two sitting peers on the London Assembly – Lord Bailey, Sir Sadiq’s Mayoral opponent in 2021, and Lord Duvall, the current chair. There is no rule against holding both positions.
However, critics from other parties on the Assembly said that if a move were to happen, Sir Sadiq should do the honourable thing and stand down from his position in City Hall.
Hina Bokhari, the leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the London Assembly, said: “This is purely a reaction to the poor results in the polls for Labour. But if the Mayor was to be parachuted into Government on a peerage, surely he can’t continue in his current position.
“What title will he use – Sir, Lord, Mayor? It all a bit ridiculous!”
It is understood that officials think bringing in powerful Labour figures like Sir Sadiq could help shore up the Prime Minister’s position after the local election results on May 7.
The Mayor of London did not follow Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar earlier this year in calling for Sir Keir to stand down, but has remained an ardent critic of the government’s strategy.
“Many people who voted Labour in July 2024 are now angry and frustrated,” he said after Labour lost February’s Gorton and Denton by-election.
Accusing the Prime Minister of taking taking “progressive voters for granted”, Sir Sadiq criticised his approach to Brexit, immigration and Gaza.
Reform UK’s Alex Wilson suggested that any peerage offer would show how “desperate [Starmer] is and how low he has sunk.”
He added: “It’s an entirely cynical act motivated purely by his desire to silence his biggest opponents from within the Labour Party.
“Now, his decision to withdraw the whip from Karl Turner serves as proof of his intent to crush growing dissent within his ranks.
“Sadiq Khan has been an utter disaster for our city, having overseen economic destruction, pitiful housing delivery and rising violence. For the Prime Minister to abuse the honours system and reward that record is shameful.”
Election modelling from data firm Bombe has indicated that Labour could lose control of 19 of the 21 councils it currently controls in London.
Another new wave of peerages is expected to be announced by Downing Street in the coming months.
A source close to Sir Sadiq told the LDRS: “As far as we’re aware, no list yet exists, and he’s not on any list.”
A government spokesperson said: “This is speculation.”
The LDRS contacted several Labour members on the London Assembly, none of whom returned a request for comment.
