Boris Johnson's brother and several Brexiteers nominated for peerages

31 July 2020, 17:38

Boris Johnson's brother, several Tory grandees and several Brexiteers are all set for the Lords after being nominated by Boris Johnson.

Jo Johnson, his chief strategic adviser Sir Edward Lister, and Philip May, husband of Theresa May, are destined for the House of Lords as part of a list of nominations published on Friday.

Ex-England cricket player and Brexit supporter Sir Ian Botham, newspaper owner Evgeny Lebedev and former leader of the Scottish Conservatives Ruth Davidson will also be made peers.

The 36-strong list includes numerous former MPs who rebelled against the Labour position to back Brexit, including Kate Hoey, Ian Austin, and Gisela Stuart.

Notable absentees from the list include the last Commons speaker John Bercow and Labour's former deputy leader Tom Watson.

But Mr Johnson did pick Conservative former chancellors Ken Clarke and Philip Hammond for peerages, after he stripped them from the Tory whip after they defied him over Brexit.

Sir Edward, a long-term ally of the Prime Minister, having supported him as London mayor, also made Mr Johnson's list for peerages.

But there have been critics of the announcements as only two years ago, the then Prime Minister, Theresa May, pledged to be "restrained" in her nomination.

The Lord Speaker, Lord Fowler, said this will make the House of Lords 830, which is 200 more than the elected House of Commons.

Lord Fowler said: "This list of new peers marks a lost opportunity to reduce numbers in the House of Lords.

"The result will be that the House will soon be nearly 830 strong - almost 200 greater than the House of Commons.

"That is a massive policy u-turn. It was only two years ago that the then prime minister, Mrs May, pledged herself to a policy of 'restraint' in the number of new appointments. It was the first time that any prime minister had made such a pledge.

"This followed a report by a special Lord Speaker's committee chaired by Lord (Terry) Burns proposing that numbers should be reduced to 600.

"This was debated by the Lords itself with over 90 speakers, commanding overwhelming support.

"The big opportunity was for the present Government to take forward this movement for reform. I emphasise that this is not a matter of personalities. It is a question of numbers and the abandonment of an established policy to reduce the size of the House.

"It is also a vast pity that the list has been announced within the first few days of the summer recess when neither House is sitting, and the Government cannot be challenged in Parliament."

The full list of nominations are:

Dissolution Peerages - Nominations from the Leader of the Conservative Party:

1. Sir Henry Bellingham

2. Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke CH QC

3. Rt Hon Ruth Davidson MSP

4. Rt Hon Philip Hammond

5. Rt Hon Nicholas Herbert CBE

6. Rt Hon Joseph Johnson

7. Colonel Rt Hon John Mark Lancaster TD VR

8. Rt Hon Sir Patrick McLoughlin CH

9. Aamer Sarfraz

10. Rt Hon Edward Vaizey

Nominations for the Leader of the Labour Party:

11. Kathryn Clark

12. Brinley Davies

Nominations for the Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party:

13. Rt Hon Nigel Dodds OBE

Nominations for non-affiliated Peerages

14. Rt Hon Frank Field

15. Catharine Hoey

16. Ian Austin

17. Rt Hon Gisela Stuart

18. John Woodcock

Political Peerages

Nominations from the Leader of the Conservative Party:

1. Lorraine Fullbrook

2. Sir Edward Udny-Lister

3. Daniel Moylan

4. Andrew Sharpe OBE

5. Michael Spencer

6. Veronica Wadley CBE

7. James Wharton

8. Dame Helena Morrissey

9. Neil Mendoza

Nominations from the former Leader of the Labour Party

10. Susan Hayman

11. Prem Sikka

12. Anthony Woodley

Nominations for non-affiliated Peerages

13. Claire Fox

14. Charles Moore

Nominations for Crossbench Peerages

15. Sir Ian Botham

16. Dame Louise Casey

17. Evgeny Lebedev

18. Dame Nemat (Minouche) Shafik