Senior Labour MP Emily Thornberry and Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, are among a number of politicians named in the New Year Honours list. Thornberry said she was "both honoured and surprised" to have been made a dame.

If you are going to give gongs for public service, I guess a three-times elected London mayor ought to be a candidate. True, it is hard to see what particular achievements have earned Sadiq Khan

Sadiq Khan has been made a knight in the New Year Honours list, prompting claims that "failure is being rewarded". The London Mayor received the award in the first batch of appointments since Sir Keir Starmer entered Downing Street. But the Tories pointed to spiralling crime, housing shortages and huge hikes in council tax in the capital.

Syria celebrates 2025 with gunfire and fireworks after fall of Assad government London Mayor Sadiq Khan has brushed off criticism of his knighthood award in the New Year's Honours list. Use precise geolocation data.

Let’s be honest — if you’re angry at Sadiq Khan’s knighthood, it’s not just because of his record as Mayor of London. Honours lists always provoke debate, almost as if designed to divide opinion. The system is flawed — from how recipients are chosen to what the titles signify — but it remains our unique way of acknowledging meaningful contributions to society.