Sir Sadiq Khan said the King apologised to him for “taking so long” to knight him. The Mayor of London received his knighthood for political and public service at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, despite a huge petition with 220,000 signatures against it and criticism from Conservative politicians.
Sir Sadiq said: “I have got the pleasure of working closely with the King. We were just comparing who’s a bigger workaholic. He was very chuffed that he managed to personally give me this honour and he actually apologised for it taking so long – which is not a problem at all.”
Sir Sadiq Khan was knighted by King Charles at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday (Image: Yui Mok/PA Wire)
Sir Sadiq’s knighthood was announced in the New Year Honours list.
The Mayor said his mother, who was in attendance at the Palace, has been “emotional” since the announcement.
“Today’s just a great day for the family,” the Labour politician said.
“Obviously, from my background, being the son of immigrants, my parents coming here from Pakistan, it’s a big deal for us.”
The petition against Sir Sadiq’s knighthood claimed the “once thriving” London is now “divided and stagnant, and all under his watch”.
It added: “We’ve seen Khan continuously deflect responsibility and accountability, blaming everybody but himself. Our beloved city is in an expensive paralysis, consistently interrupted by strikes.”
In December, after the news Sir Sadiq would be knighted, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said Londoners will “rightly be furious his track record of failure is being rewarded”, citing levels of knife crime in London, missed housing targets and soaring council tax.
He added: “By rewarding the failing Sadiq Khan, Keir Starmer has shown once again that for Labour it is Party first, country second.”
Almost a third of knife crime in England and Wales in 2024 was recorded in London.
