Angela Rayner has unveiled plans to prevent Sir Sadiq Khan from re-entering Parliament while serving as London Mayor, fuelling speculation she is seeking to sideline potential rivals for the Labour leadership.
The Deputy Prime Minister is introducing legislation that would bar anyone from holding both a mayoralty and a parliamentary seat simultaneously. The change, contained in her forthcoming English Devolution Bill, would rewrite parts of the 1999 Greater London Authority Act and apply to mayors across England.
Under the new law, “a person is disqualified from being the mayor if the person is an elected member of a legislature in the United Kingdom.”
The move would close off Khan’s most direct route back to Westminster. Before becoming mayor in 2016, he was Labour MP for Tooting, and speculation has long linked him with future leadership bids—paralleling Boris Johnson, who used his time as London mayor to launch his campaign for Conservative leader while also sitting as an MP.
Rayner’s allies insist the change is about ensuring mayors “focus on serving their local populations.”
Read also: Rayner accused of altering election rules to undermine streeting
But critics accused her of political scheming. A Conservative strategist said: “Fresh out of trying to do in Wes Streeting, Angela Rayner is once again knifing potential leadership rivals. She should be focused on delivering for Britain, not petty party manoeuvres. Yet again it’s party first, country last.”
Khan, now serving a third term as London mayor after his re-election last year, has repeatedly denied leadership ambitions, saying he has “no interest” in returning to the Commons. However, many observers believe he remains one of Labour’s most high-profile figures and a potential contender. His office declined to comment on the new law.
Rayner has also been accused of targeting Streeting, the Health Secretary, with separate legislative changes. She plans to scrap rules preventing organisations from registering both as campaign groups and political parties—a move that could benefit pro-Gaza candidates, such as those in Jeremy Corbyn’s new party. Streeting only narrowly held onto his seat at the last election, winning by just 500 votes against a pro-Palestinian challenger.
Rumours about Rayner’s own leadership ambitions have intensified in recent months, particularly after the leak of an internal tax memo.
A spokesman for her department defended the reforms, pointing out that mayors who double as police and crime commissioners are already banned from sitting in Parliament. “These changes will make the rules consistent across the board,” he said.
