Tory criticism of knighthood not the last I will receive, Sir Sadiq Khan says
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp accused Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of ‘rewarding the failing Sadiq Khan’.
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Your support makes all the difference.Sir Sadiq Khan has said criticism of his knighthood is not the last he will receive from the Conservatives “unless they’ve done a new year’s resolution”.
Asked about his new title, the Mayor of London said “you can achieve anything” in the city, where “if you work hard, there’s a helping hand”.
The Labour politician drew criticism from several Conservatives, including shadow home secretary Chris Philp, who accused Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of “rewarding the failing Sadiq Khan”.
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.”
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 (sic) 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.”
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 – who secured a third term as Mayor of London in 2024 – appeared on the New Year Honours List this week alongside actor Sir Stephen Fry, former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate and Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury Dame Emily Thornberry.