Sunak Says He Refused Johnson’s Request to Overrule House of Lords on Vetoed Honours Names

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson (L) and former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak outside 10 Downing Street, London on Oct. 13, 2020.

The House of Lords Appointments Commission (Holac) has confirmed it vetoed eight names former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had put forward for peerages in his resignation honours list.

On Monday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak accused Johnson of asking him to “do something I wasn’t prepared to do,” by overruling Holac.

Johnson’s resignation honours list was published (pdf) on Friday and includes seven people nominated to receive life peerages and 38 people to receive knighthoods, MBEs and OBEs.

Among those nominated for a peerage is Charlotte Owen, a 29-year-old former adviser to Johnson who would become the youngest-ever member of the House of Lords.

Also nominated for a peerage are Dan Rosenfield, a former chief of staff at 10 Downing Street, Benjamin Gascoigne, a former deputy chief of staff, Ross Kempsell, a former political director of the Conservative Party, Kulveer Singh Ranger, a former director of transport while Johnson was London mayor, Shaun Bailey, a former Tory mayoral candidate in London, and Ben Houchen, the Mayor of Tees Valley.

A number of political aides, including Jack Doyle, Guto Harri, Samantha Cohen and David Canzini were also nominated for CBEs (commander of the order of the British Empire), the highest honour below a peerage.

Former communications chief Jack Doyle (L)—who has been nominated in Boris Johnson's resignation honours list, along with former aides (L to R) Samantha Cohen, Guto Hari and David Canzini—outside Downing Street on Nov 12., 2020 and July 12, 2022. (PA)

There were also honours for Michelle Williams-Walker, Johnson’s former head of operations—who was reportedly in charge of the music at the Downing Street parties during the lockdown—and the former prime minister’s hairdresser, Kelly Jo Dodge.

A spokesman for the independent commission, which is chaired by Lord Bew, said in a statement: “The House of Lords Appointments Commission (Holac) considered the nominations proposed by the Right Honourable Boris Johnson MP in line with its usual processes.

“All nominations made by Mr Johnson were received and processed by Holac. Eight nominees were not supported by the commission. The commission is advisory to the prime minister and is not involved in the appointment processes after providing advice. The commission does not comment on individuals,” the statement concluded.

Appearing at the London Tech Week conference, Sunak said, “Boris Johnson asked me to do something that I wasn’t prepared to do because I didn’t think it was right.”

Sunak: ‘If People Don’t Like That, Then Tough’

“That was to either overrule the Holac committee or to make promises to people. Now, I wasn’t prepared to do that. I didn’t think it was right and if people don’t like that, then tough,” he added.

The prime minister said: “When I got this job I said I was going to do things differently because I wanted to change politics and that’s what I’m doing.”

“And I’m also keen to make sure that we change how our country works and that’s what I’m here talking about today: making sure that we can grow our economy, that we can maintain our leadership in the innovative industries of the future,” Sunak added.

Sunak will have to call a general election by January 2025 at the latest but he has been forced to call three by-elections following the resignation on Friday of Johnson and former culture secretary Nadine Dorries, who were followed on Saturday by former minister Nigel Adams.

Johnson quit after receiving the Privileges Committee report into the Partygate affair which he referred to as a “kangaroo court” which was determined to “drive him” out of Parliament.

It has been reported that Johnson wanted to reward Dorries, Adams and another loyal MP, Alok Sharma, with peerages but was persuaded to drop them by Sunak, who did not want to face unnecessary by-elections.

But Dorries and Adams resigned anyway and the prime minister now faces by-elections later this summer in Uxbridge & Ruislip, Mid-Bedfordshire and Selby & Ainsty.

Labour is gunning for Johnson’s 7,000 majority in Uxbridge while the Liberal Democrats hope to pull off shock victories in the other two constituencies, both safe Tory seats.

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove, was questioned about the resignation honours list on BBC Radio 4’s “Today” programme on Monday.

Gove Says All Resigning PMs Allowed to ‘Gift’ Honours

Gove said, “The appropriate procedure was followed.”

He said the Partygate report was irrelevant to the honours process and he pointed out, “The resignation honours are in the gift of any prime minister who stands down.”

In a statement made today, Johnson dismissed Sunak’s comments, saying: “Rishi Sunak is talking rubbish. To honour these peerages it was not necessary to overrule Holac—but simply to ask them to renew their vetting, which was a mere formality.”

Johnson’s successor, Liz Truss, is reported to have nominated four people on her honours list, which has not yet been published.

In March, when news of Truss’s list emerged, Wendy Chamberlain MP, the Liberal Democrats’ chief whip, said, “Rishi Sunak must block these honours immediately as allowing Truss to dish out positions of influence shows a stunning lack of humility.”

Johnson’s is one of the most controversial resignation lists since Harold Wilson’s famous Lavender List in 1976.

Wilson resigned as prime minister but had little to do with his resignation honours list, which was drawn up by his chief political aide, Marcia Williams, who was herself nominated to become Baroness Falkender.

Also on the list were Joseph Kagan, maker of Wilson’s ubiquitous Ganex raincoat, who was later convicted of fraud and tax evasion, and businessman Eric Miller, who committed suicide as police closed in on him for similar offences.

PA Media contributed to this report.