Keir Starmer is reportedly considering granting a knighthood to London Mayor Sadiq Khan in a bid to ease tensions within the Labor Party and bolster his position.According to sources quoted by the Financial Times, the British Prime Minister may grant Sadiq a seat in the House of Lords after the upcoming local elections in May. The move is seen as an attempt to manage internal divisions as Labor faces a tough election result that could undermine Starmer’s leadership.Reports also suggest Starmer is considering offering Sadiq a cabinet post to take over in Downing Street. Giving the London mayor a peerage, just a year after he was knighted, could help the prime minister “consolidate his position through patronage”, a source said, as talk grows about possible challenges to the leadership.However, Downing Street sources dismissed the claims as “speculation”.The move reportedly comes after a series of public disagreements between the two senior Labor figures. Sadiq recently broke with the party leadership and called for Britain to rejoin the European Union (EU).In an interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Sadiq said he “knows very well what needs to happen, which is that we should join the EU.” He added: “As Labour, we should approach the next election with a clear manifesto commitment that a vote for Labor means we will rejoin the EU. I think that is inevitable.”His comments put him at odds with Starmer, who has repeatedly ruled out reversing Brexit.Sadiq also criticized Labour’s political strategy after poor performance in the Gorton and Denton by-elections. Writing in the Guardian, he said: “The political strategy of taking liberal, progressive voters for granted is clearly flawed.”He warned that “Labour now faces an existential threat in parts of our country” and warned that the party risked losing key strongholds if changes were not made.
