Allies of Sadiq Khan have dismissed reports that the London mayor could join Keir Starmer’s cabinet after being made a peer, although it remains possible he could enter the House of Lords while keeping his current role. Downing Street described the speculation as unfounded, and a Labour source declined to comment.
Any decision on a peerage rests with No 10, Khan’s allies said, but they ruled out the possibility cited by the Financial Times that Khan could be brought in to strengthen Starmer’s cabinet. Khan served as a London MP for a decade before becoming mayor in 2016, winning three consecutive terms by attracting support beyond Labour’s core vote.
A role for Khan working closer with Starmer could be presented as the prime minister making full use of Labour’s talents, especially given that the mayor has occasionally criticised the government, such as after Labour’s byelection loss to the Greens in Gorton and Denton. However, sources close to the mayor said he is focused on the final two years of his current term and has not yet decided whether to seek a fourth term.
A peerage would not necessarily conflict with Khan’s mayoral duties, as Ben Houchen, the Tees Valley mayor, was made a peer in 2023 while serving his second term and later won a third. Houchen attended 20% of Lords sittings in 2025 and spoke once in the chamber.
Another wave of peerages is expected soon, partly to allow the Conservatives to reinstate about 15 hereditary peers as life members after a bill removed the remaining 92 hereditary seats. Starmer has already created 96 new peers, 65 of them Labour, to help pass legislation. The Lords currently has 868 members, making it the second largest legislative chamber globally after China’s National People’s Congress.
