Sir Sadiq Khan has been handed a peerage along with 25 other new members of the House of Lords as Sir Keir Starmer prepares to leave office.
The Labour London Mayor will take his seat on the red benches with former cabinet secretary Sir Chris Wormald and Sir Brian Leveson, a retired senior judge.
They appeared on a list of names issued by Downing Street to which No 10 said the King has been “graciously pleased to signify his intention of conferring peerages”.
The Press Association understands Sir Sadiq is not seeking a ministerial role in Andy Burnham’s incoming administration and has not yet decided whether he will stand again for the mayoralty, which he has held since 2016.
He is among 16 new political appointments made by the Prime Minister, while Liberal Democrat Sir Ed Davey has made five nominations and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has made three.
Sir Chris, a career civil servant who Sir Keir was accused of scapegoating after he was effectively forced out of his job during the Mandelson vetting scandal, will sit as a crossbench peer along with Sir Brian.
PA understands the Prime Minister recommended the former cabinet secretary directly for a place in the Lords.
Other nominations from the outgoing Labour leader include broadcaster and former Loose Women panelist June Sarpong and former Unison general secretary Christina McAnea.
Sir Sadiq, a long-time ally of Sir Keir, has long been tipped for a peerage and will at least initially combine his parliamentary role with his regional one.
A Government source said: “Sadiq has been a brilliant mayor who has transformed London for the better, so this is thoroughly deserved.
“He has cut violent crime to record lows, cleaned up the capital’s air, delivered the Elizabeth Line and got London building council homes again.”
A spokesperson for the mayor said his job in City Hall “continues to be the privilege of Sadiq’s life” and he will devote his time to “standing up for our city and building a fairer, safer and greener London for everyone”.
They added: “Sadiq is honoured to be given a peerage.
“London gave Sadiq the opportunities to go from a council estate to being mayor of London, and his focus will continue to be ensuring that all Londoners get the same shot at reaching their full potential that London gave him and his family.”
Downing Street previously said it was “normal practice” for prime ministers to recommend individuals for peerages, following reports Sir Keir could pack the unelected chamber with new Labour peers before leaving office.
Labour has previously accused the Tories of having “stuffed” the red benches while in power, enabling the party to now frustrate the Government’s legislative plans in opposition.
Before winning the 2024 general election, Sir Keir argued the House of Lords should be abolished, and said honours should be for “public service, not Tory cronies”.
In office, the Government passed the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026, putting an end to seats being available for hereditary peers by virtue of their family ties.
There have been long-standing concerns about the size of the House and calls to reduce its membership, which currently stands at 774, compared with MPs, who are capped at 650.
Figures show the Conservatives remain the largest bloc in the Lords, with 246 peers compared with Labour’s 216.
There are 156 crossbench peers and 74 from the Liberal Democrats.
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