Boris Johnson is poised to go ahead with a resignation honours list before he departs Downing Street, No 10 has confirmed, after speculation that it could include gongs for the culture secretary, Nadine Dorries, and the former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre, among others. Asked about the prospects of such a list, Johnson’s official spokesperson said he could not comment on details, but that it is “convention” for departing prime ministers to award knighthoods and appointments to the House of Lords. “I don’t have an update for you on that definitively. I’ve seen sort of speculation,” he said when asked about the idea. “It is convention – individuals who can be nominated in recognition of their public or political service, and prime ministers draw up those sorts of lists, but I don’t know specifically on that at this point.” Asked about reports that the prime minister’s list could be long, the official said: “I don’t believe there have been any significant discussions on it at this stage.” He said he was “not aware” of Johnson planning to give his father, Stanley Johnson, a knighthood.
According to a report in the Sunday Times, Johnson is considering elevating Dorries to the Lords along with Allegra Stratton, who resigned as his communications chief after being filmed joking about No 10 parties. Dacre, now the editor-in-chief of the Mail’s parent company, is also tipped for a peerage. The Liberal Democrats have written to the House of Lords appointments commission and the Cabinet Office honours committee urging them both to block any resignation honours Johnson proposes, arguing the prime minister is too tarnished to do so.
“Boris Johnson has no honour, so he doesn’t deserve a resignation honours list,” said Wendy Chamberlain, the party’s chief whip. “Every Conservative party leadership candidate should come out and oppose Johnson being given an honours list and confirm they would turn down a gong if he offered them one. “A prime minister forced from office by his own lies, corruption and law-breaking shouldn’t be allowed to hand out honours to his friends on the way out. There must be no more rewards for failure.” Johnson has previously been criticised over his nominations for peers. In an earlier list, he elevated his brother Jo, the ousted MP Zac Goldsmith, a close family friend, and Evgeny Lebedev, the newspaper proprietor, who is also a friend.