Boris Johnson’s resignation honours: Rishi Sunak’s bid to show strength falls flat
Rishi Sunak: the nervous look on his face here has come to be symbolic of his style of government – weak.
Here’s another mess Boris Johnson has created for the Conservatives.
It has taken nine months for current prime minister Rishi Sunak to approve Johnso’s resignation honours list – presumably because some of the name on it are controversial.
And it is precisely because of the controversial choices among the 38 honours and seven peerages that have been approved, that Sunak has been accused of weakness.
He should have vetoed honours that went to people implicated in scandals and controversies during Johnson’s time, Sunak’s critics say.
And they question why some on the list are being given any honours at all.
Today (June 12, 2023), Sunak has bitten back, claiming that he actually did veto eight peerages that Johnson wanted to bestow. This may account for why Alok Sharma, Nadine Dorries and Nigel Adams were not on the list (and why the latter two have now resigned as MPs).
According to the BBC,
The House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC) has confirmed it rejected eight of the former prime minister’s nominations.
Mr Sunak said Mr Johnson asked him to overrule them, or “make promises to people”.
But he said he refused, adding it was “something I wasn’t prepared to do”.
“I wasn’t prepared to do that, I didn’t think that was right. And if people don’t like that, then tough,” he told a tech conference in London.
Well… it seems clear that Sunak was trying to appear tough. In fact the peerages were vetoed by the House of Lords organisation that checks the appropriateness of such appointments.
And when this happens…
Does anyone know why Boris Johnson made his former parliamentary assistant Charlotte Owen, 29, a life peer? pic.twitter.com/fzIa5TLZ0p
— Ian Fraser (@Ian_Fraser) June 11, 2023
When this happens…
Martin Reynolds, Mr Johnson’s former principal private secretary, was awarded the Order of Bath.
In May 2020, Mr Reynolds sent an invite to a “bring your own booze” party to Downing Street staff when the nation was under lockdown.
… people may be justified in thinking that Johnson has abused the honours system, along with all the other systems of Parliament he managed to influence during his too-long period in office.
And it calls into question Sunak’s claims about asserting himself.
If it’s “tough” that eight peerages were disallowed, why did Sunak roll over and let these other honours through?
11-06-23.
I just don’t get it.
While writing this letter, I was thinking about its’ relevance. After all, according to Harold Wilson-” A week is a long time in politics”. Is it worth writing? Is it worth sending in for possible printing? Then, while watching the Nicky Campbell Radio 5Live phone-in on Monday morning, my doubts were firmly put to bed.
A young voiced woman, Sarah from Ebbw Vale, was broadcast live on the show speaking about her husband who needed the help of a ventilator while seriously ill in ICU. She could only visit him once a week due to the COVID-19 restrictions. On one of her visits, she overheard somebody else’s family being told that their family member was about to die due to the COVID-19 infection. He was a 31-year-old man. We must always remember what this Tory government-led by Boris Johnson- caused by their incompetence, procrastination and sheer contempt for the commoner. Please read on…
My heart sank last week. After the resignation of Boris Johnson, the BBC done a ‘pavement survey’ of the people in his ex-constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip and some people said they would vote for him in a heartbeat, and pontificated on how much of a wonderful person he is! As if they knew him personally. When did they turn into moronic brainwashed people living in their own world of denial?
Boris Johnson is a known liar and unfit for any type of public office or journalistic duties due to his absolute disregard for the truth and due process. He is above such trivialities mentioned, and the law of the land is a mere inconvenience to him. He lives in his own world and believes in his own lies. The similarities between him and Donald Trump are very worrying.
I could write a letter everyday-leading up to the next General Election- documenting his failures as PM, a MP, a foreign secretary, a London mayor and a journalist. But, people of a certain way of thinking would disregard them in the same way as they would the naughtiness of a 5-year-old child. What is wrong with these people? This is why I fear for the outcome of the next General Election. Believe me, he will be back. The mindset of the voting public is perverse and fuelled by racism and a twisted sense of British exceptionalism. He is a perfect Tory. He believes that any way to make money is fine. As money and profit are the central drivers in the Tory ideology. He has total contempt for anybody who is ‘below his station’. He is the product of the private school/ Oxbridge setup and he doesn’t have a sliver of honesty or contrition in his whole body.
Why can’t every person with an ounce of sense and sanity see this? I just don’t get it.
T. Noon. Kirkby.
Pathetic Sunak lies again! He’s afraid of upsetting his powerful fascist tory bros and by the way Sunak you didn’t reject eight of the proposed fake honours duck johnson wanted to award to his crooked cronies. The House of Lords rejected them and I suspect Nadine Dories will be furious her loyalty to criminal duck johnson didn’t result in her being given a peerage.