Top Tories Michael Gove, Jeremy Hunt and James Cleverly have been awarded gongs after Rishi Sunak’s controversial resignation honours list was finally published.
Mr Gove has been handed a peerage, and will soon sit in the House of Lords, while Mr Hunt and Mr Cleverly have been awarded knighthoods. Former Tory cabinet members Grant Shapps, Mel Stride and Andrew Mitchell were also made Sirs, while there were a string of honours for members of Mr Sunak’s No10 team.
The defeated Prime Minister’s handing awards to his close allies immediately sparked accusations of “shameless cronyism”. In a surprise move, cricket-mad Mr Sunak also awarded a knighthood to former England fast bowler James Anderson. There was also a gong for fimmaker Matthew Vaughn, whose credits include producing Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
Ex-Cabinet minister Mr Gove, who infamously betrayed Boris Johnson during his first failed bid for No10, is among seven names who were named as peers. Former Tory Chief Whip Simon Hart – who made astonishing claims about misbehaviour in a tell-all diary – was also elevated to the Lords, along with Alister Jack and ex-Attorney General Victoria Prentis.
Mr Gove quit as an MP before the Conservatives suffered their worst-ever general election defeat last year and now edits the right-wing Spectator magazine.
Scroll down to see the list in full
Former Chancellor Mr Hunt and former Home Secretary James Cleverly, who both still sit as MPs in the Commons, will become Sir Jeremy and Sir James after the knighthoods. Former Deputy Foreign Secretary Andrew Mitchell will also get a knighthood, while Theresa Villiers, former Northern Ireland secretary and a leading Leave campaigner, will get a damehood.
Mr Gove, whose peerage was one of the first leaked, held a string of government posts under four Tory PM, including a divisive four-year stint as Education Secretary where he mocked the education unions and teachers as the “Blob”. Mr Gove, who also criticised “middle class professionals” who took drugs, admitted in 2019 he was “fortunate” to avoid prison after using cocaine while working as a journalist.
Asked on Friday whether Mr Gove deserved a peerage, Labour minister Stephen Kinnock said: “I think Michael Gove has done huge damage to this country, he’s one of the architects of having a Brexit with no plan, which led to the botching of the deal, he’s been at the heart of some really damaging policies… look at the mess we ended up in. I wouldn’t be the person giving him a peerage.”
Mr Sunak’s resignation list, which was published on Friday afternoon, is also handed a peerage to former Tory chief whip Simon Hart. His recent tell-all book detailed stories of chaos under Mr Sunak, including an MP who rang him from a brothel claiming he’d been compromised by the KGB.
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Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “These political nominations look like an ID parade of political flunkies whose fingerprint of failure are still felt on family finances.
“They are rewards for the failure of a dreadful Conservative Government that was rightly kicked out of office. Millions of hard working families were fed up after years of Conservative chaos culminating in a cost of living crisis, and public services on their knees.
“The fact that Rishi Sunak has dished out honours to his mates after all the damage they did is yet more proof of how out of touch the Conservatives still are.”
Peerages
Michael Gove
Former Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
Mark Harper
Former Secretary of State for Transport.
Simon Hart
Former Chief Whip of the House of Commons.
Sir Alister William Jack KBE DL
Former Secretary of State for Scotland.
Stephen Massey
Former Chief Executive Officer of the Conservative Party.
Victoria Prentis KC
Former Attorney General
Eleanor Shawcross (Wolfson)
Former Head of the No 10 Policy Unit
Order of St Michael and St George
Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG)
Andrew Mitchell MP
Former Secretary of State for International Development and Deputy Foreign Secretary. For political and public service.
Order of the British Empire
Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Theresa Villiers
Former Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet. For political and public service.
Knights Bachelor
Knighthood
James Anderson OBE
England Cricketer. For services to cricket.
James Cleverly MP
Former Home Secretary and former Foreign Secretary. For political and publicservice.
Jeremy Hunt MP
Former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Foreign Secretary, Health Secretary and Culture Secretary. For political and public service.
Former Defence Secretary, Energy Secretary, Business Secretary, Home Secretary, and Transport Secretary. For political and public service.-
Mel Stride MP
Former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. For political and public service.
Matthew Vaughn
Filmmaker. For services to the creative industries.
Order of the Bath
Companion in the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (CB)
Elizabeth Perelman
Former Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister. For public service.
Order of St Michael and St George
Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George(CMG)
John Bew
Former Foreign Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister. For political and public service.
Order of the British Empire
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
Nerissa Chesterfield
Former Director of Communications at No10 Downing Street. For political and public service.
Cassian Horowitz
Former Special Advisor to the Prime Minister. For political and public service.
Lisa Lovering
Former Head of Operations at No10 Downing Street. For political and publicservice.
William Tanner
Former Deputy Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister. For political and publicservice.
Rupert Yorke
Former Deputy Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister. For political and publicservice.
Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Eden Barnes
Former Head of Events and Visits at No10 Downing Street. For political andpublic service.
Aidan Corley
Former Head of Research and Messaging, 10 Downing Street, and Special Adviserto the Prime Minister. For political and public service.
Douglas McNeill
Former Chief Economic Advisor to Prime Minister. For political and publicservice.
James Nation
Former Deputy Director of the Number 10 Policy Unit. For political and publicservice.
Jamie Njoku-Goodwin
Former Special Advisor to the Prime Minister. For political and public service.
Lucy Noakes
Former Press Secretary to the Prime Minister. For political and public service.
Timothy Pitt
Former Special Adviser to the Prime Minister. For political and public service.
Robert Trotter
Former official speechwriter for the Prime Minister. For public service.
Henry de Zoete
Former adviser to the Prime Minister on Artificial Intelligence. For public service.
Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
Ronald Kirk
Former Councillor for Great Ayton, Hambleton District Council. For political and public service.
George Livesey
Senior Parliamentary Assistant to the Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP. For political andpublic service.
Yvonne Peacock
Councillor for the Upper Dales, North Yorkshire Council. For political and public service.
Medallists of the Order of the British Empire (BEM)
David McCormick
Collections Manager at Chequers. For public service.
Emma Paterson
Head Housekeeper at Chequers. For public service.
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