British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak publicly rebuked former Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday, accusing him of requesting an override of a panel’s vetting process for his resignation honours list appointments to the House of Lords. Sunak made the statement during a public function, addressing a long-standing controversy surrounding Johnson’s honours list and his nominees for peerages.
The honours list, which was approved nine months after Johnson’s resignation, included 38 honours and seven peerages. As per tradition, outgoing prime ministers have the right to nominate individuals for honours upon leaving office, including seats in the House of Lords and knighthoods.
According to convention, the current prime minister passes the list of nominees to the House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC) for review. However, the list put forward by Johnson did not include many of his nominees, leading to a clash with Sunak.
Just three hours after the publication of the list, Johnson resigned as a Member of Parliament, expressing his frustration with Sunak’s agenda. In response, Sunak accused Johnson of urging him to overrule the House of Lords Appointment Commission and bypass their recommendations for the rejected nominees.
Sunak revealed that Johnson had asked him to make promises or override the commission’s decisions, but he refused, stating that he believed it was not the right course of action. He boldly declared, “If people don’t like that, then tough.”
This public exchange marks a significant escalation in the war of words over Johnson’s controversial resignation honours list. When Johnson stepped down in September of the previous year, he left behind a list of nominations for honours and appointments to the House of Lords. However, the government’s customary submission to the House of Lords Appointment Commission reportedly omitted several of Johnson’s nominees, including sitting MPs and potentially controversial figures.
The latest dispute between Sunak and Johnson occurred as Johnson faced potential sanctions from a parliamentary committee for misleading Parliament about lockdown-breaking parties at Downing Street during his premiership. Following the receipt of a confidential letter from the MP-led Privileges Committee, Johnson abruptly resigned as a Member of Parliament, claiming to be the “victim of a witch-hunt.”
The disagreement between UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson over the honours list has further intensified, with Sunak openly criticizing Johnson for seeking to override the House of Lords Appointment Commission’s decisions. This clash adds to the controversy surrounding Johnson’s resignation honours list and comes at a time when Johnson faces scrutiny for his actions during his time in office.