London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has received a £5,281 pay increase, pushing his annual salary to £170,282 and making him the highest-paid politician in the United Kingdom, it was revealed today.
The Labour mayor’s latest pay rise means he now earns almost £1,000 more than Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who takes home £169,344 annually. The salary increase comes despite London enduring a week of crippling Tube strikes that brought the capital’s transport network to a standstill.
Sir Sadiq, who is serving an historic third term at City Hall following his re-election in May 2024, has seen his salary rise from £165,001 after accepting a 3.2 per cent increase linked to the local government pay settlement. The pay bump was quietly published on the Greater London Authority website as part of the mayor’s official biography.
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Sir Keir Starmer’s prime ministerial earnings comprise £93,904 as a Member of Parliament plus a ministerial salary of £75,440, totalling £169,344. Like his recent predecessors, the Prime Minister has chosen not to claim his full ministerial allowance of £80,807, which would bring his total to £174,711.
The revelation has sparked criticism from political opponents, with defeated Conservative mayoral candidate Susan Hall telling the Mail: “If he was on performance-related pay he would owe Londoners a fortune!”
Hall, who lost to Khan in the May 2024 mayoral election where he became the first London mayor to win a third term, has been a vocal critic of his record on crime rates and housebuilding in the capital.
Highest-Paid Politician in Britain
The mayor’s new salary appears to make him the best-paid politician in the country, surpassing other regional leaders by significant margins. Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney recently declined a pay rise to keep his salary at £135,605, whilst Wales’ First Minister Eluned Morgan earns £157,624.
Andy Burnham, the Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, receives £118,267 annually, making Khan’s salary roughly £52,000 higher than his Labour colleague in the north.
The pay rise follows what City Hall described as an “independent review” last year that established a uniform process for determining annual salary increases for the mayor and London Assembly members for the duration of this term.
Tube Strike Turmoil
The timing of the salary announcement has proved particularly controversial, coming just days after London experienced severe transport disruption from 5 to 12 September. The RMT union’s industrial action saw little to no service across all Underground lines for seven days, with the Docklands Light Railway also shut on two days.
The strikes, which forced tens of thousands of commuters to walk, cycle or take taxis, saw bike collisions increase by a third according to the London Ambulance Service. Footfall in business districts like Canary Wharf and Westminster plummeted by 31 per cent compared to the previous week.
Transport for London and the mayor are now set to meet with union representatives, with a “no conditions” pay offer reportedly on the table for Tube workers demanding a 3.4 per cent increase in basic wages, which would take their average salary to £38,702.
Broken Promises on Strikes
The pay revelation is particularly awkward given Sir Sadiq once promised there would be “zero strikes” on public transport if he was elected mayor. Critics have highlighted this pledge as London continues to face periodic industrial action affecting millions of commuters.
Emma Best, deputy leader of the City Hall Conservatives, criticised what she called Khan’s “out-of-control expansion” at City Hall, noting that the total GLA headcount has increased by 129 since March 2024, with 50 people now working in the mayor’s office where two-thirds earn at least £80,000 and approximately 20 take home six-figure salaries.
“The concept of value for money is alien in Khan’s City Hall as he continues his out-of-control expansion,” Best said. “We have continued to argue for a reduced headcount at the GLA to save millions that could be invested into frontline services.”
Independent Review Defence
A spokesperson for Sir Sadiq defended the pay rise, stating: “Following an independent review last year, the Greater London Authority has a uniform process in place to determine annual salary increases for the mayor and London Assembly members for the duration of this term.”
“This ensures that any potential pay increases are determined in an impartial, fair and simple way, linked to the local government pay settlement. This is independent of the mayor and the GLA and in line with long-standing practice.”
The spokesperson confirmed that following the conclusion of this year’s agreement, the mayor and Assembly Members have received the local government 3.2 per cent salary increase.
Growing City Hall Workforce
The increase in the mayor’s salary comes alongside a significant expansion of City Hall staff numbers. The spokesperson noted that “the number of City Hall staff has grown to reflect the significant increase in the Mayor’s powers and responsibilities since Sadiq was first elected.”
New posts have reportedly been created to ensure the mayor can “best respond to emergencies, deliver record devolved skills funding, improve health and care for Londoners and continue to build a fairer, safer and greener London for everyone.
However, critics argue this expansion represents poor value for money at a time when frontline services are under pressure. The total staffing figure includes 101 people who work for the London Assembly, the cross-party body that scrutinises the mayor.
Historical Context
Sir Sadiq’s salary has increased substantially since he first took office in 2016. During the pandemic in 2020, he voluntarily took a 10 per cent pay cut for 11 months in recognition of City Hall’s strained finances, before accepting his full salary after being re-elected in 2021.
The mayor’s pay had previously increased from £154,963 to £160,976 in December 2023, a 3.88 per cent rise, followed by a further increase to £165,001, before this latest bump to £170,282.
The Evening Standard first revealed the latest pay rise after it was quietly published on the Greater London Authority website. The revelation comes at a sensitive time politically, with Labour facing scrutiny over various financial matters at both local and national level.
As London continues to grapple with transport strikes, rising crime concerns and a housing crisis, the mayor’s increased salary is likely to fuel further debate about performance and accountability at City Hall.
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