Unlock Editor’s Digest for free
Roula Khalaf, editor of the FT, picks her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.
The Labor mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will receive a knighthood in the New Year’s honors list, one of a series of political veterans to be presented with the gongs, according to people briefed on the document.
Kanthe first Muslim mayor of a UK capital to be elected for a third term this year, will receive his political and public service award after almost two decades in politics. He was previously a Member of Parliament.
The chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee Emily Thornberry, a long-serving Labor MP who was ousted from his Speaker’s bench by Sir Keir Starmer after joining the government, is to be made a lady, Whitehall experts have told the Financial Times. They said the other recipient would be New Labour-era health secretary Patricia Hewitt.
Andy Street, the former West Midlands mayor who was defeated in May’s local elections after seven years in office, is one of a handful of Conservative politicians to receive a knighthood.
Nick Gibb, a member of parliament 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 MPs are expected to be knighted: Ranil Jayawardena and Marcus Jones, both of whom lost their seats in the House of Commons in July’s general election.
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 was also trade secretary and a Tory deputy during Boris Johnson’s administration.
Jones, an MP since 2010, was deputy chief whip during Rishi Sunak’s premiership. He previously served as housing minister and deputy leader of the Tory party.
Hewitt is expected to be awarded for services to health and Gibb for services to education, while the others will receive honors for parliamentary, political and public services, the figures said.
One person familiar with the process stressed that the draft document has yet to receive a final signature from either Starmer or King Charles III. All honors are issued in the name of the monarch.
FT reported earlier this week that the government was set to issue a fresh political peerage list in the coming weeks – likely to coincide with the New Year honors – which is set to include Starmer’s former chief of staff Sue Gray.
A host of former Labor MPs who stood down before the election, making way for new party talent, will also be elevated to the House of Lords.
Sunak has yet to submit his resignation peer list, but Tory insiders believe former ministers Michael Gove, Simon Hart and Alister Jack will be on it.
Jones said he was not aware of any proposal for a tribute. 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’s Honors list, for which anyone can nominate another person.
The cabinet said: “We do not comment on speculation about honours.”
