Sadiq Khan hits again at critics of his knighthood after Keir Starmer was accused of handing out a ‘reward for failure’ – as London mayor thanks the King for his ‘humbling’ honour

Sir Sadiq Khan has clapped back at critics of his knighthood after Keir Starmer was accused of handing him a ‘reward for failure’.

The Mayor of London sparked fury after he received the gong in the first batch of appointments made since Keir Starmer entered Downing Street. 

Leading Tories pointed to the former MP’s ‘track record of failure’ in the capital, including over tackling knife crime and dramatic hikes in council tax, congestion charges and emissions levies.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp accused the Prime Minister of ‘rewarding the failing Sadiq Khan’.

Sir Sadiq said the negative comment is not the last he will receive from the Conservatives ‘unless they’ve done a New Year’s resolution’.

Asked about his new title, he said he was truly humbled’ by the award, adding, ‘you can achieve anything’.

A Change.org petition titled ‘Stop the Knighthood of Sadiq Khan’ has received more than 212,200 signatures throughout December.

Sir Sadiq told the PA news agency: ‘Look, today’s not the first time the Conservatives have criticised me.

‘Unless they’ve done a new year’s resolution, it won’t be the last time they criticise me.

‘What’s really important, though, is to thank His Majesty the King for bestowing upon me this honour.

‘It’s humbling for me. My father passed away more than 20 years ago. I was with my mum last night when the news broke about this knighthood and she’s just chuffed.

‘I mean, she’s someone who’s a migrant to this country.

‘My parents, they’ve worked incredibly hard like migrants do and they’re really proud that one of their children has been given this honour.

‘It shows that in London, if you work hard, there’s a helping hand, you can achieve anything.

‘I think the rest of the world are looking at our country and seeing what a great country this is, and what a great city London is.’

Knife crime campaigners last night branded Khan’s knighthood ‘an insult’ to victims’ families. 

Suzanne Hedges, whose son was stabbed to death by a teenager in 2016, told the Daily Telegraph: ‘It’s insulting, degrading and disrespectful to families that have lost someone to knife crime.’ 

Courtney Barrett, of the Binning Knives Saves Lives group, added: ‘The knighthood is an insult, and I speak for 20 families of murder victims who I work closely with.’

Mr Philp, MP for Croydon South in the capital, had previously said: ‘Under Sadiq Khan Londoners have faced a 61% increase in knife crime, a housing crisis and a 70% increase in council tax.

‘They will rightly be furious his track record of failure is being rewarded.’

In a reference to the Prime Minister’s pledge to put ‘country first, party second’, Mr Philp added: ‘By rewarding the failing Sadiq Khan, Keir Starmer has shown once again that for Labour it is ‘party first, country second’.’

Matthew Goodwin-Freeman, a Conservative councillor in Harrow, set up a Change.org petition which described a city which ‘now stands divided thanks to Khan’s polarizing politics’.

It reads: ‘London’s crime rate has seen a marked increase during his tenure with knife crime reaching record heights in recent years.

‘Despite being in a position to enact change, Khan continues to ignore these grave issues, instead placing blame elsewhere rather than taking decisive action himself.

‘Not to mention, the price of living and transport in London has risen dramatically during Khan’s tenure.’

Sir Sadiq – who secured a third term as Mayor of London in 2024 – appeared on the New Year Honours List this week.

The furore came after hundreds of other honours were awarded to charity workers and selfless volunteers in a New Year Honours list intended to recognise ‘unsung heroes’.

There were also accolades for dozens of sports stars and celebrities, including knighthoods for former England football manager Gareth Southgate and actor Stephen Fry.

Other notable recipients included authors Dame Jacqueline Wilson and Sir Kazuo Ishiguro, gardener Alan Titchmarsh and actresses Sarah Lancashire and Carey Mulligan.

Several of Team GB’s Olympians and Paralympians were also honoured, as were leading figures in the campaign for justice for the wrongfully convicted Post Office subpostmasters.

Andrew Boff, chair of the London Assembly, congratulated Sir Sadiq.

He said: ‘The assembly welcomes this honour as a broader recognition of the importance and value of our regional democratic structures, and hopes the mayor uses the status granted by this honour to further advocate for Londoners with partners in the UK and overseas.’

Sir Sadiq, 54, said he was ‘truly humbled’ by the award, adding: ‘I couldn’t have dreamed when growing up on a council estate in south London that I would one day be mayor of London. 

‘It’s the honour of my life to serve the city I love and I will continue to build the fairer, safer, greener and more prosperous London that all the capital’s communities deserve.’ 

Sir Sadiq, previously Labour MP for Tooting in south London, became London Mayor in 2016, the first Muslim mayor of any European capital. He was re-elected in 2021 and secured a third term earlier this year.

During his time in City Hall, London has been dubbed the ‘knife crime capital’ and the Met Police Service has been forced into special measures.

Sir Sadiq was accused of ‘losing control’ on crime in the city, with a reported 38 per cent increase in knife offences since he took office.

The mayor sparked anger among drivers with Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, the Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) and increases in the congestion charge, while also implementing public transport fare increases. His critics also claim he has failed to meet house-building targets.

Supporters of Sir Sadiq said he had been the first Mayor of London to be re-elected for a third term and claimed the Ulez had almost halved toxic air pollution in central London.