Sadiq Khan House of Lords history was made on Tuesday as the Mayor of London was sworn into the upper chamber as Baron Khan of Tooting, taking the oath at the start of business as a Labour member of the Lords.
Sir Sadiq was accompanied by former Labour leader Lord Kinnock and human rights lawyer Baroness Helena Kennedy of the Shaws for the introduction ceremony. He took the traditional oath alongside fellow new Labour peer Lord Roberto Neri, watched by about a dozen London Labour MPs — including Dawn Butler, Tulip Siddiq and Rupa Huq — and members of his family. Afterwards, both new peers were met with cheers as they shook hands with Lord Speaker Lord Forsyth of Drumlean.
Sadiq Khan’s House of Lords title and Tooting roots
Lord Khan has taken his title from Tooting, the south London area where he was born and which he represented for 11 years as an MP. Before entering the Commons he worked as a solicitor specialising in human rights law, and he later served in government under Gordon Brown, rising to transport minister.
Elected Mayor of London in 2016, he has become the longest-serving mayor since the office was created in 2000, and the first person to hold a peerage while serving as mayor. His current term comes to an end in 2028, and there has been speculation he will not seek a record fourth term. His peerage was announced in the final week of Sir Keir Starmer’s time in Downing Street.
The appointment marks a notable turn for a politician who called for the abolition of the House of Lords in 2022. As Mayor, Khan recently opened a £6m grassroots fund for survivors of violence against women and girls in London.
