Sadiq Khanhas received a peerage along with 15 othersLabour figures, in one of Keir StarmerHis final actions as Prime Minister.

The LondonThe Mayor is joining the House of Lords in the most recent list of honors proposed by Sir Keir.

TV presenter June Sarpong and former Unison leader Christina McAnea are also included in the list.

In a potentially contentious decision, Sir Sadiq will retain his position as mayor – although it is believed he would not take on a ministerial post under the new prime minister.Andy Burnham

Sir Sadiq and the 24 other new peers – including five Lib Dems, threeTorMembers and two crossbenchers will receive £390 tax-free for each day they participate in the House of Lords. Typically, there are 150 days when the House is in session annually.

Staff did not quickly state if the mayor, who already earns a £170,000 salary, would accept the payment or give it to a charitable organization.

It remains uncertain what Mr. Burnham, who is scheduled to assume control at No10 on Monday, believes about the appointments.

He has consistently advocated for changes to the Upper House, emphasizing last month that “having half of our national legislature unelected” was “deeply shocking,” and that he would not “exclude the possibility of an early transformation.”

Starmer’s peerage nominations 

Alison Garnham – Chief Executive, Child Poverty Action Group.

Alison Lowe OBE – Deputy Mayor responsible for Policing and Crime in West Yorkshire.

Barbara Mills KC – Chair of the Bar Council of England and Wales (2025), a specialist in family law, and co-head of chambers at 4PB.

Cathy Ashley OBE – Chief Executive of Family Rights Group and former Chair of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.

Christina McAnea – Previous General Secretary of UNISON.

June Sarpong OBE – Television presenter, charitable campaigner, and equality champion.

The Right Honourable Ken Macintosh DL – Former Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament.

Kitty Ussher – a British economist, former Member of Parliament for Burnley, and former Economic Secretary to the Treasury.

Marcus Davey CBE – Ex-CEO and Artistic Director of the Roundhouse.

Martin McTague OBE – Head of the National Branch of the Federation of Small Businesses.

Nick Stace OBE – Chief Global Impact Officer at Howden Group.

Parvais Jabbar MBE – Specialist in human rights, co-founder and Co-Executive Director of The Death Penalty Project.

Roberto Neri – Chief Executive Officer of The Ivors Academy and a Member of the UK Music Board.

The Right Honourable Sir Sadiq Khan – Mayor of London and former Member of Parliament for Tooting.

Saul Lehrfreund MBE – Specialist in human rights, co-founder and Co-Executive Director of The Death Penalty Project.

Tim J Smith CBE – Ex-CEO of the Food Standards Agency.

The Conservative Party has selected three new peers, among them former army commander General Patrick Sanders and David Ross, the founder of Carphone Warehouse.

The Liberal Democrats have received five, but there were no positions available for Reform.

A former Appeal Court judge, Sir Brian Leveson, who wrote the Leveson Report on media standards, is now a crossbench peer.

He will be joined by former Cabinet Secretary Chris Wormald. Sir Keir essentially compelled the civil servant to leave his position during the Mandelson vetting controversy.

The list is independent of any honors related to resignation that Sir Keir may introduce.

He has explicitly not excluded the possibility of a series of final acknowledgments, even though he had previously vowed while in the opposition that he would never undertake such a move.

A representative of Sir Sadiq stated: ‘London provided Sadiq with the chances to move from a council estate to becoming Mayor of London, and his attention will remain on making sure every Londoner has the same opportunity to achieve their maximum potential that London offered him and his family.’

‘Serving as mayor of the greatest city in the world continues to be the privilege of Sadiq’s life.

‘He is excited about what more can be delivered in the years ahead and he will devote his time and energy to standing up for our city and building a fairer, safer and greener London for everyone.’

The Allies stated that Sir Sadiq will “keep dedicating the same time and effort as Mayor to create a more equitable, secure, and environmentally friendly city for all Londoners.”

He has not yet made a decision on whether to run for a fourth term in the position.

A government official stated: ‘Sadiq has been an outstanding mayor who has improved London significantly, making this entirely well-earned.’

He has reduced violent crime to historic minimums, improved the capital’s air quality, introduced the Elizabeth Line, and restarted the construction of council homes in London.

June Sarpong, who was famous for hosting T4 on Channel 4, has been a consistent supporter of the Labour Party and worked to promote Sir Keir during the recent election.

She is recognized as a close friend of his wife, Lady Victoria.

Ms. Sarpong was in a relationship with David Lammy, Sir Keir’s assistant, during the 2000s.

Mr. Burnham, a former mayor of Greater Manchester, has previously supported the idea of transforming the chamber into an elected senate for regions and nations, and is reportedly looking at proposals to appoint metro mayors to the red benches as an initial move toward a more inclusive organization.

The Liberal Democrats have selected agricultural economist Julia Aglionby, former Barnsley council member and physiotherapist Hannah Kitching, economist Tim Leunig, Lib Dem campaigns director Dave McCobb, and offshore wind businessperson Mark Petterson for the House of Lords.

Party leader Ed Davey stated: “I am completely thrilled that Julia, Hannah, Tim, Dave, and Mark will be becoming part of our outstanding Liberal Democrat group in the House of Lords.”

Each individual possesses the necessary skills, background, and principles to assist us in holding the Government responsible, bringing about the changes citizens require, and addressing our flawed political system, such as overhauling the House of Lords.

Sir Keir faces mounting pressure to uphold his pledge of not granting honors upon his departure.

Premiers usually create a list of honors upon leaving office, frequently recognizing loyal staff and political associates.

Previously, even junior employees were awarded OBEs, while some were given a peerage due to their commitment.

However, Sir Keir has previously been harsh towards the convention, and explicitly rejected the possibility of issuing one.

In 2023, when Boris JohnsonHis list surfaced, he was questioned aboutBBCWhether he would distribute resignation honors on Radio 4’s Today programme.

“Negative. There are other possibilities,” he responded.Tony Blairwasn’t provided with a list of resignations. It’s quite challenging to justify…

There are alternative ways to approach this, and I believe it’s simpler to be straightforward and just say, no, I wouldn’t do it.

No. 10 has not yet explained if Sir Keir will release a list, which typically appears several months after a prime minister leaves office.

Darren Hughes, the head of the Electoral Reform Society, stated: ‘Two years ago, Labour’s own manifesto mentioned that ‘the second chamber of Parliament has grown too large’ and that ‘reform is long overdue and necessary’.

So the view of additional peerages being awarded to donors, friends, and backers today will be confusing for the general public.

Especially considering that with more than 700 members, the Lords is already the second biggest legislative body in the world, following China’s National People’s Congress.

The upcoming prime minister must fulfill the commitment to reform and transform the Lords into a more compact, democratic body that better reflects and is answerable to the citizens of this nation.

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