Keir Starmer makes Sadiq Khan a peer in the House of Lords

Appointment by outgoing prime minister, potentially opens door for London mayor to join Burnham cabinet

Sadiq Khan has been given a peerage by Keir Starmer just days before the prime minister stands down, potentially opening the door to one of Labour’s most high-profile mayors joining Andy Burnham’s cabinet in future.

The London mayor has long been tipped for the House of Lords, with Starmer said to have been keen to put him there immediately after the May local elections in an attempt to shore up Labour’s progressive flank.