One of the most ardent political supporters of rent controls in England has been made a Knight within the 2025 New Year honours list.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who has lobbied both the previous Tory and current Labour government to bring in rent controls within London and beyond, has been made a Knight Bachelor, which will enabled him to use Sir in front of his name and wife Saadiya to call herself Lady.

The title is usually given for public service and the Cabinet Office has used the honours list announcement to highlight his public service including three terms as Mayor of London and before that as the MP for Tooting in South London.

During his time in parliament he served as Minister of State for Transport, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Government Whip, Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, Shadow Minister for London, Shadow Lord Chancellor and Shadow Secretary of State for Justice.

However most landlords will remember his time in office for his ongoing attempts to bring in rent controls in London and as recently as April said he wanted to use them to tackle the capital’s ‘sky high’ rents.

Other Knights

Only one other high-profile politician with a housing track record features in the NY honours list – Marcus Jones.

The former Nuneaton MP, who lost his seat at the most recent election, was a housing minister for three months during the final death throes of the Boris Johnson Government.

Khan and Jones are joined as Knights Bachelors in the 2025 New Year’s Honours list by 20 other people including most notably, Stephen Fry, novelist Alan Hollinghurst, former footballer Gareth Southgate.