…By Henry George for TDPel Media.
The Tory civil war escalated as Rishi Sunak accused Boris Johnson of urging him to take actions that he deemed inappropriate concerning the former prime minister’s honours list.
In response, Johnson’s ally claimed that Sunak had secretly blocked the peerages of individuals like Nadine Dorries, a former culture secretary.
The clash of words emerged after Johnson published his resignation honours list without including names of key allies such as Alok Sharma, the former Cop26 president, and Nigel Adams, a former minister.
Johnson’s resignation as an MP followed shortly after the release of the honours list.
The Privileges Committee, which was investigating whether he lied to Parliament regarding “partygate,” was expected to find him in violation of rules and recommend a suspension that could trigger a by-election in his constituency.
Adams and Dorries also announced their resignation from the Commons, resulting in three challenging by-elections for Johnson as his party faces a decline in the polls.
Publicly turning against his former Downing Street colleague, Sunak indicated that Johnson wanted him to disregard the recommendations of the House of Lords Appointments Commission (Holac).
Sunak stated that he refused to overrule the Holac committee or make promises to individuals, asserting that he believed it was not the right course of action.
He defended his decision, stating that he aimed to do things differently during his time in No 10.
There were claims of a “gentleman’s agreement” between Johnson and Sunak, suggesting that the honours list would be approved with the understanding that the MPs would undergo re-vetting by Holac at a later date to avoid immediate resignation.
However, Johnson’s camp accused Sunak of breaking the agreement, exacerbating tensions rather than bringing about a ceasefire.
Holac, which Johnson himself had overridden during his tenure to grant a peerage to Tory donor Peter Cruddas, confirmed that it did not support eight of the nominees proposed by the former leader.
Government officials insisted that neither Sunak nor Downing Street removed names from Johnson’s peerages submission.
The Privileges Committee met to finalize and discuss the publication of its report on Johnson, who has dismissed the investigation as a “witch hunt.”
The probe is believed to have concluded that Johnson lied to Parliament regarding Covid rules at Downing Street during the existence of social distancing restrictions.
Reports indicated that the panel was likely to recommend a minimum 10-day suspension, which could potentially trigger a by-election in Johnson’s constituency.
Cabinet minister Michael Gove defended the committee’s integrity but refrained from criticizing his party colleagues.
He emphasized the need to wait for the report’s publication before debating its conclusions and consequences.
Gove also expressed concern over the reported additional security measures taken by the committee, which he believed were unnecessary.