Sadiq Khan knighted in New Year Honours list despite thousands trying to ‘stop’ it
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Sadiq Khan has been handed a knighthood in the New Year Honours list – even after more than 200,000 people signed a petition against the move. The Mayor of London is one of a handful of politicians to receive top honours ahead of the new year. Emily Thornberry MP, the chair of the foreign affairs committee, has been made a dame while Andy Street, who recently lost re-election as West Midlands Mayor, has been knighted.
![[File photo dated 06/04/19 of a view of an Ultra Low Emission Zone sign at Tower Hill in central London. Levels of a harmful air pollutant from cars and vans being driven in outer London are lower than if the ultra low emission zone (Ulez) was not expanded, according to a new City Hall report. Issue date: Thursday July 25, 2024. PA Photo. Emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from cars are 13% below a scenario where the scheme was not extended to cover the entire city, the study found. The figure is 7% for vans. See PA story TRANSPORT Ulez. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/SEI_214042771-448f.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
But the gong for Sir Sadiq, for political and public service, proved particularly controversial when news of it leaked recently. Conservative London councillor Matthew Goodwin-Freeman started a petition on Change.org to ‘stop’ the knighthood from happening.
![[EMBARGOED TO 2230 GMT MONDAY DECEMBER 30 File photo dated 25/06/24 of former postmistress Jo Hamilton, who has been made an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the New Year Honours list, for services to justice. Issue date: Monday December 30, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story HONOURS Main. Photo credit should read: Ian West/PA Wire]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_234548545-edff-e1735572843962.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
The mayor is a frequent target for right-wing politicians due to anti-pollution measures such as the capital’s ultra-low emission zone, and a perceived lack of success in tackling knife crime. He also gained a wider international profile through his frequent clashes with Donald Trump, which started when the then-presidential candidate called for Muslims to be banned from the US in 2015.
After Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris in last month’s election, Sir Sadiq said ‘many Londoners will be anxious’ and ‘fearful about what it will mean for democracy and for women’s rights’. Born in Tooting, Sir Sadiq became the first Muslim mayor of a major western city when he was elected to succeed Boris Johnson in 2016.
