Outgoing Prime Minister Nominates 26 New Peers Including London Mayor Sadiq Khan

London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan is among 26 new peers nominated for seats in the House of Lords. The Bbc reported that outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer made the nominations as one of his final acts before leaving office on Monday. Sir Sadiq was nominated to become a Labour peer alongside 15 others, including broadcaster June Sarpong and former union chief Christina McAnea.

Five new Liberal Democrat peers, three Conservative peers and two cross-bench members, former cabinet secretary Sir Chris Wormald and retired senior judge Sir Brian Leveson, completed the list. Downing Street published the nominations and said the King has signified his intention of conferring the peerages. Sir Sadiq is serving his third term as mayor after first being elected in 2016.

The Bbc reported that he is not seeking a ministerial role in Andy Burnham's incoming government and has not yet decided whether to seek a fourth term in 2028. A government source described him as a brilliant mayor who has transformed London for the better and said his peerage was thoroughly deserved, citing record lows in violent crime, cleaner air, the Elizabeth Line and renewed council home building.

A spokesperson for the mayor said Sir Sadiq was honoured to be given a peerage and is excited about what more can be delivered while standing up for the city.

The list was being worked on before Starmer announced his resignation last month and consists of political peerages rather than resignation honours. Reform UK received no peerages. Its leader Nigel Farage said the appointments were the uniparty writ large and that there is nothing for Reform, resulting in an even more unrepresentative upper house.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey welcomed five new peers for his party, saying each has the right skills to help hold the government to account and reform the House of Lords. Andy Burnham has called for a complete overhaul of the unelected Lords, stating last month that half of the national legislature being unelected cannot be justified.