Talk about the end of the peer show. Boris Johnson’s allies have spent the past two days spitting blood and crying betrayal, accusing Rishi Sunak of ‘deceit’ over the alleged removal of several nominees from the honours list. But tonight No. 10 has hit back, telling the Sunday Times that such claims are ‘categorically untrue’ and suggesting that Johnson misunderstood the process of awarding peerages.
And in a bid to ward off such criticisms, Downing Street has tonight taken the step of publishing the list of names that were approved by the House of Lords Appointments Commission (Holac). These were the seven names that were announced on Friday – Shaun Bailey, Ben Gascoigne, Ben Houchen, Ross Kempsell, Charlotte Owen, Kulveer Ranger and Dan Rosenfield – plus a mystery eighth name that has been blanked out on the government website. The surname of the missing name begins with the letter ‘r’: all guesses welcome as to who that could be.
This list is significant because it was the final approved list that Holac sent to Rishi Sunak, which the Prime Minister then forwarded on to the King for official sign off. It obviously does not include Nadine Dorries, Alok Sharma and Nigel Adams. All three were tipped to receive peerages: Dorries and Adams have now resigned with speculation mounting as to Sharma’s future intentions.
Sources have told the Sunday Times that the lack of these three names is because Holac removed them and that this list was submitted in February – meaning that Dorries, Sharma and Adams have been off it for four months. The question is then whether Boris Johnson made the trio aware of this before yesterday’s publication of the list.
What’s become clear in the past 24 hours is the extent of the bad blood between team Johnson and team Sunak. There have been briefings, accusations and three by-elections in the constituencies of Dorries, Adams and Johnson himself. So far, however, there doesn’t seem to be a groundswell in support for Johnson outside his Praetorian guard.
One government figure likens Johnson’s resignation to a defection, rather than an indication of an internal party struggle. There is much Tory anger with regards to Johnson because of the problems that a by-election causes the party. The problem for Sunak is that, for all his promises to end the Tory wars, the last 24 hours suggest they are here to stay.
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