Mayor of London Mayor of London The Mayor of London is the executive of the Greater London Authority. The current Mayor is Sadiq Khan, who took up office on 9 May 2016. The position was held by Ken Livingstone from the creation of the role on 4 May 2000, until he was defeated in May 2008 by Boris Johnson, who served two terms before being succeeded by Khan. The role, created in 2000 after the London devolution referendum in 1998, was the first directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom. The Mayor is scrutinised by the London Assembly and, supported by their Mayoral
Lord Mayor of London the Foreign Secretary addresses an audience of international dignitaries. The Lord Mayor sometimes takes part in major state occasions, for example in 2013, the then-Lord Mayor, Roger Gifford carried the Mourning Sword at Margaret Thatcher's Funeral, processing ahead of the Queen and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, into St Paul's Cathedral. The Lord Mayor performs numerous other functions, including serving as the Chief Magistrate of the City of London, Admiral of the Port of London, Rector of City, University of London, President of Gresham College, President of City of London Reserve Forces and Cadets Association, and Trustee of St Paul's