Sadiq Khan has been handed a peerage by Keir Starmer just days before the prime minister stands down, a move that could allow London’s mayor to join Andy Burnham’s cabinet in future. The appointment, one of 26 new peers announced on Thursday, comes as Starmer prepares to formally resign on Monday, when Burnham will meet the King to be asked to form a government.
Khan has long been tipped for the House of Lords, with Starmer said to have been keen to put him there immediately after the May local elections in an attempt to shore up Labour’s progressive flank. But sources close to Khan said he had told the prime minister-in-waiting that he has no wish to be a minister in his government. The mayor is committed to focusing on the last two years of his mayoral term and has not yet announced whether he wants to seek a fourth term in 2028.
“Starmer makes Sadiq Khan a peer days before Burnham becomes PM, but Khan says he does not want a ministerial role.”
Downing Street sources suggested Khan’s elevation came as part of a regular honours list, rather than being linked to Starmer’s departure. However, the timing was unusual, with peerages usually tied to political events and most commonly appearing in the spring or autumn. Starmer signalled last week that he could hand out resignation honours when he leaves Downing Street, despite pledging three years ago he would not do so. As opposition leader, he criticised Rishi Sunak for allowing Boris Johnson to hand out awards to political allies, saying it was difficult to justify given the circumstances of his departure.
Burnham’s path to Number 10 has been remarkably clear: he received 379 out of 403 nominations (94 per cent) in the Labour leadership contest, making it mathematically impossible for any other challenger to receive the required 20 per cent. On Friday he was officially confirmed as Labour leader at a special conference. “We are united and we put the power that comes from that unity at the service of people and places who have been waiting too long for politics to let them hope again,” he said. “That’s what we’re going to do, everybody. We’re going to give them hope back.”
Starmer spent his final day as Labour leader in Ukraine, meeting President Zelensky. Speaking to Sky News, he said: “I go with pride,” adding that he felt he had “saved the Labour Party” by making it electable again.
Among the other new political appointments are Christina McAnea, former general secretary of Unison, and broadcaster June Sarpong. The Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey made five nominations, while Tory leader Kemi Badenoch made three, including businessman and party donor David Ross, who donated £10,000 to her leadership campaign. Whether Khan, now a peer, will eventually serve in a Burnham cabinet remains an open question – but for now, the London mayor insists his focus remains on City Hall.
