Sir Sadiq Khan is expected to be handed a peerage as the Prime Minister attempts to bring his most prominent left-wing critics in the Labour Party on side, reports suggest.
The Mayor of London has recently been vocal about the shift to the right Labour has taken since Sir Keir Starmer became Prime Minister, warning the party faces a difficult set of council elections this year.
Promoting Sir Sadiq to the House of Lords would be seen as an attempt by the PM to secure his support after the polls on May 7, when Sir Keir is expected to be in danger of a leadership challenge.
Sources told the Financial Times that a peerage could be offered to Sir Sadiq in a bid to appease the Mayor and could even lead to a Cabinet role, although a Downing Street official dismissed the claim.
Asked about the reports on Friday, children’s minister Josh MacAlister said he had “no idea” about the plans, but added that placing Sir Sadiq in the House of Lords was “not a bad idea”.
He told Sky News: “When you’ve got members of the House of Lords in local government, and now in mayoral positions, it’s incredibly important for the legislation we’re trying to pass, and making sure that the laws that we make are scrutinised by, challenged by and improved by those who are closest to the ground.
“So the principle of it is certainly not a bad idea.”
Sir Sadiq, who was given a knighthood last year, has accused Sir Keir of taking progressive voters for granted in a bid to win over those switching to Reform UK and has warned Labour are set to lose council seats across the capital in a “challenging” set of borough elections.
He also backed the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham after he called for a change in the Prime Minister’s approach.
Labour has been forecast to lose up to 2,000 councillors in May, with challenges coming from the Green Party on the left and Reform UK on the right.
Labour currently dominates in London town halls, controlling 21 of the city’s 33 boroughs. But polls have suggested a huge political shake-up could be on the cards, with strongholds such as Newham, Brent and Hackney at risk.
The three former Tory boroughs that were won by Labour in 2022 – Westminster, Wandsworth and Barnet – could also be lost, according to polling.
Last month Sir Sadiq signalled he was considering seeking a fourth term as Mayor of London.
He told the Standard he had “already worked out” his campaign for the next contest for City Hall in 2028.
“Once the election begins, we know who the candidates are, I will have a strategy to deal with both Count Binface and Reform,” he said.
