Sir Keir Starmer is said to be expected to offer the Mayor of London a peerage after the local elections in May. The prime minister would elevate Sir Sadiq Khan to the House of Lords to save his embattled premiership.
The Labour mayor has been a vocal critic of Sir Keir‘s administration so the offer could help « shore up » the PM’s position. An unnamed source told the Financial Times of the potential offer, a claim which was not denied by education minister Josh MacAlister when asked on Thursday.
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Mr MacAlister, speaking to Sky News, said having members of the House of Lords in local government and in mayoral positions was « incredibly important » for the legislation the Government is trying to pass.
He also emphasised the importance of having draft legislation scrutinised by local leaders, who he said are « closest to the ground ».
The minister added: « So the principle of it is certainly not a bad idea. We’ve got lots of great mayors across the country. »
Sir Sadiq has criticised Sir Keir after Labour lost the Gorton and Denton by-election to the Green Party in February.
He also backed the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, when he took aim at Sir Keir’s leadership last year.
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