Muslim Mayor of London eyes UK Prime Minister role as Starmer falters

Sadiq Khan was elected Mayor of London in 2016. Born in London to Pakistani parents, he is a British citizen and practising Muslim. The son of a bus driver, Khan became a solicitor and was later elected to Parliament for the Labour Party. He stepped down as an MP when he became Mayor and has been elected to the mayoralty a record three times.

Sir Keir Starmer’s approval ratings are the lowest since records began. He is considered a liability to the Labour Party. Labour knows it won the 2024 election despite — not because of — its leader. Starmer is dragging the party down. Labour’s support in opinion polls stands at a meagre 24 per cent, behind Reform United Kingdom. Until 2024, Reform UK had never won a single seat in Parliament. It now appears that Labour’s only chance of victory at the next General Election is to remove Starmer.

The Mayor of London has made a number of statements which are deeply unhelpful to Starmer. Sadiq Khan has called upon the United Kingdom Government to recognise Palestine as a sovereign state. He has denounced Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide and criticised Starmer for inviting Donald J. Trump to the UK. Khan has also come out against cuts to welfare spending. These utterances resonate strongly with the grassroots of the Labour Party.

Sir Keir Starmer and Sadiq Khan are known to detest each other. Their feud is rooted in personality rather than ideology. In 2021, when Labour was behind in the polls, there was serious talk of ousting Starmer and replacing him with a more electable figure. Khan was the obvious candidate. He had already been elected Mayor of London twice — a city that comprises around 12 per cent of the UK population.

Labour traditionally performs well in London and has done so for over a century. However, it lost the mayoralty in both 2008 and 2012. On both occasions, Labour’s national standing was weak, and the Conservatives fielded a charismatic candidate who appealed beyond the party’s traditional base: Boris Johnson. Johnson’s re-election in 2012 was aided by the relative popularity of the new Conservative Government, which had been elected in 2010 and was still enjoying something of a honeymoon period.

Starmer is stiff and charmless, whereas Khan is ebullient and abundantly affable. Khan puts people at their ease and can work a room, while Starmer — despite his legal background — lacks oratorical flair and is more of a black-letter lawyer than a courtroom advocate.

Starmer faces mounting pressure from Labour backbenchers to adopt more left-leaning policies. Several Labour MPs have had the whip withdrawn for voting against government policy. Starmer must now strike a difficult balance: keeping his party united while countering the growing challenge from Reform UK, which has arguably become his principal opposition, overtaking the Conservatives in some polls.

In June 2025, Khan publicly denounced attempts to reduce benefit payments for people claiming disability support. His stance, seen as an expression of social conscience, was well received by Labour members.

Khan has also advocated for a youth mobility scheme with the European Union, similar to existing UK arrangements with Canada and Australia. He has been outspoken in his belief that Brexit was a monumental error. Again, these positions are popular among Labour grassroots — but they also provide ammunition for Reform UK and the Conservative Party, who accuse Labour of trying to reverse Brexit by stealth.

As Mayor, Khan introduced the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), which has measurably improved air quality in central London. Environmentalists have praised the initiative, and London now boasts some of the cleanest air of any major global city. However, the policy is controversial. Critics say it is prohibitively expensive, penalises drivers of non-electric vehicles, and threatens the viability of some businesses. Khan is eager to expand ULEZ to all of Greater London, but the Conservatives have exploited the public backlash, gaining votes in the process.

Some voters are shifting from Labour to the Green Party, drawn by its more left-wing platform. Meanwhile, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is founding a new, as-yet-unnamed far-left party. Labour is also concerned about voters in Scotland and Wales defecting to separatist parties, which have embraced radical left policies.

The green belt in and around London restricts development on most green spaces, aiming to preserve natural areas for recreation and air quality. However, Khan has criticised the green belt as outdated and unjustifiable in the face of London’s housing crisis. Property prices in central London have reached as much as £50,000 per square metre. Khan argues that building on some parts of the green belt is essential to making housing more affordable.

To become the leader of the Labour Party, Khan must first re-enter Parliament. He is eager to do so, but no safe Labour constituency has offered to select him. While the majority of London’s parliamentary seats are Labour-held, not all are considered safe.

The next mayoral election is due in 2028. Although Khan has won three successive races for Mayor, none have been by double-digit margins. He may not be so fortunate in 2028. Khan would prefer not to run again and instead hopes to be back in Parliament by then. It is widely expected that Labour will call the next general election in the summer of 2028. If Khan were an MP by that point, and if Starmer were to step down — as many predict — Khan would be in a strong position to contest the leadership. As per convention, the monarch appoints the leader of the largest party in the House of Commons as Prime Minister.

Labour considers it an embarrassment that it has only ever been led by white men. By contrast, the Conservative Party has elected four women and two non-white leaders. Labour is therefore keen for its next leader to be non-white, female, or both. Khan, as a visible ethnic minority and practising Muslim, would represent a significant break from tradition.