Is Johnson trying to use his RESIGNATION honours to keep himself IN Downing Street?
Backhander: but Boris Johnson isn’t offering money to MPs in return for a guarantee that they won’t submit a vote of ‘no confidence’ in him. He’s said to be offering knighthoods and places in the House of Lords.
Boris Johnson could offer knighthoods and peerages to his critics in his resignation honours, to ensure that he won’t have to resign for years to come.
That’s the warning from the Liberal Democrats. They say they only way to stop him from bribing his Tory critics in this way is to stop him from giving any resignation honours at all.
Of course, bribery is a crime – but it would be hard to prove. The argument would be that, rather than allow him to corrupt other MPs but not be sure, it is better to deny Johnson the opportunity.
Lib Dem chief whip Wendy Chamberlain has written to the chairs of the House of Lords Appointments Commission and the Cabinet Office Honours Committee.
The move follows unconfirmed reports that Johnson is offering honours in his resignation list if Tory MPs refrain from submitting letters of no confidence in his leadership to 1922 Committee chair Graham Brady.
Prime Ministers are traditionally permitted to issue resignation honours lists on departure from office, although not all have done so.
The Honours Committee and Appointments Commission are able to block nominations deemed to be inappropriate, and are believed to have struck several names from the list submitted by David Cameron in 2016.
In her letter, Ms Chamberlain makes the point that, if Johnson is forced out because he is found to have broken the law and the Ministerial Code, it would be a stain on the UK’s democracy and a matter of shame for the nation.
He should not be allowed to hand out resignation honours to MPs who he persuades not to force him out by other means – no matter whether they are awarded because he is forced out now or leaves at a later date, she reckoned.
Source: Watchdog urged to stop Boris Johnson using honours to win back Partygate rebels
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