Keir Starmer makes London Mayor Sadiq Khan a peer, awarding him a Labour seat in the House of Lords on the prime minister’s final full day as Labour leader, ahead of his planned step down. The appointment allows Khan to sit in Parliament, and it could later give incoming Labour leader and prime minister Andy Burnham options to appoint him to government, though Metro reports Khan is not seeking a ministerial role and intends to focus on duties as mayor. Khan’s office says he is “honoured” by the peerage. The move follows Starmer’s decision to include Khan among names for peerages in a newly released list, which includes other figures such as broadcaster June Sarpong, and crossbench appointments including Sir Brian Leveson and Sir Chris Wormald. Coverage links the peerage timing to wider debate about whether the Lords should better reflect the UK’s regions and nations, citing reporting that Burnham is considering appointing other metropolitan mayors to the Lords. The outlets also note Starmer has previously said he would not issue resignation honours if he became prime minister, and he has faced questions in recent weeks about whether he will publish any honours list.