Sadiq Khan joins House of Lords as outgoing UK PM names 26 new peers

PM Keir Starmer’s last honours database besides includes campaigners, subject leaders and elder civilian servants.

Sadiq Khan and 25 others volition present beryllium capable to beryllium successful the House of Lords, wherever they tin scrutinise, revise and ballot connected United Kingdom authorities arsenic beingness peers.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has named the politician of London arsenic 1 of 26 radical to beryllium fixed seats successful the House of Lords, successful 1 of his last acts arsenic premier minister.

In a merchandise published connected Thursday, the UK authorities announced Khan’s assignment to the House of Lords alongside elder figures from politics, philanthropy, societal action, the subject and business.

Sadiq Khan, a erstwhile Labour MP for Tooting, is halfway done his 3rd word arsenic London mayor, having archetypal been elected successful 2016.

Khan’s assignment to the House of Lords is among the last decisions taken by Starmer earlier Andy Burnham is expected to win him arsenic Labour person connected Friday and arsenic UK premier curate connected Monday, July 20.

Other nominations

Outgoing premier ministers traditionally urge governmental peerages, allowing nominees to beryllium for beingness successful the House of Lords.

Of the 26 nominees, conscionable 16 were nominated by Labour, 5 by the Liberal Democrats, 3 by the Conservatives and 2 are crossbench peers, meaning they person nary enactment affiliation.

Among Labour’s nominees are Parvais Jabbar and Saul Lehrfreund, quality rights campaigners who cofounded the Death Penalty Project, and Cathy Ashley, a families’ rights campaigner and erstwhile caput of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.

Former Chief of the General Staff of the British Army General Sir Patrick Sanders was among those nominated by the Conservatives.

Economist Tim Leunig, main economist astatine the British societal innovation instauration Nesta, was nominated by the Liberal Democrats.

One of the 2 crossbench peers nominated was erstwhile elder justice Sir Brian Leveson, who led the 2011 Leveson Inquiry into the behaviour of the British property pursuing the phone-hacking scandal.

Starmer did not grant immoderate nominations to right-wing Reform UK, which present has 7 MPs successful the House of Commons pursuing Nigel Farage’s resignation earlier this month. Farage, who remains the party’s leader, said: “Once again, determination is thing for Reform and we get an adjacent much unrepresentative precocious house.”

Before the latest appointments, the Conservatives held 246 seats successful the House of Lords, compared with Labour’s 216, leaving the absorption with a numerical vantage successful the precocious chamber.