Sadiq Khan to be knighted in New Year honours list

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Labour mayor of London Sadiq Khan is to receive a knighthood in the New Year honours list, one of a string of political veterans to be handed gongs, according to people briefed on the document.

Khan, the first Muslim mayor of the UK capital who was elected for a third term this year, will receive his award for political and public service after almost two decades in frontline politics. He was previously an MP.

Commons foreign affairs committee chair Emily Thornberry, a long-standing Labour MP whom Sir Keir Starmer dropped from his front bench team upon entering government, is set to be awarded a damehood, the Whitehall insiders told the Financial Times. They said another recipient was set to be New Labour-era health secretary Patricia Hewitt.

Andy Street, the former West Midlands mayor who was defeated in the local elections in May after seven years in office, is one of several Conservative politicians in line to be recognised with knighthoods.

Nick Gibb, an MP for more than a quarter of a century who served as schools minister for a total of a decade across three appointments, is set to be another recipient.

Two other Conservative parliamentarians are expected to get knighthoods: Ranil Jayawardena and Marcus Jones, both of whom lost their Commons seats at the general election in July.

Jayawardena was a close ally of Liz Truss, who appointed him to the cabinet as environment secretary during her brief tenure as prime minister. He also served as a trade minister and deputy Tory chair during Boris Johnson’s administration.

Jones, an MP since 2010, was deputy chief whip during Rishi Sunak’s premiership. Previously he served as a housing minister and vice chair of the Tory party.

Hewitt is expected to be recognised for services to health, and Gibb for services to education, while the others are set to be awarded honours for parliamentary, political and public service, the figures said. 

One person familiar with the process stressed that the draft document had yet to receive final sign off from Starmer or King Charles III. All honours are issued in the name of the monarch.

The FT reported earlier this week that the government is poised to issue a fresh political list of peerages in coming weeks — likely to coincide with the New Year honours — which is set to include Starmer’s former chief of staff Sue Gray.

A raft of ex-Labour MPs who stepped down ahead of the election, making way for fresh party talent, are set to be elevated to the House of Lords too.

Sunak is yet to submit his resignation peerages list, but Tory insiders believe former cabinet ministers Michael Gove, Simon Hart and Alister Jack will be on it.

Jones said he was not aware of any proposal for an honour. Street and Gibb declined to comment, as did a representative for Khan.

Thornberry, Jayawardena and Hewitt did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Individuals would not necessarily know if they are on the New Year honours list, for which anyone can nominate another person.

The Cabinet Office said: “We do not comment on speculation on honours.”