Partygate aides among honourees in Johnson’s resignation list

The resignation honours list of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been released, revealing nominations for political aides involved in the partygate scandal. Martin Reynolds, who earned the nickname “party Marty,” has been awarded a Companion of the Bath (CB). Reynolds gained notoriety for inviting people to “socially distanced drinks” in the Number 10 garden during the first national lockdown in May 2020. Jack Doyle, Johnson’s former director of communications, received a CBE, while his chief of staff Dan Rosenfield was nominated for a peerage.

Other honours were given to former communications director Guto Harri, parliamentary hairdresser Kelly-Jo Dodge, and Sarah Vaughan Brown, a former personal adviser to Johnson’s wife Carrie. Charlotte Owen, a former adviser to Johnson, will become the youngest ever life peer. Key political allies of Johnson, including former cabinet ministers Jacob Rees-Mogg and Priti Patel, were also rewarded. Patel, the former home secretary, has been nominated for a damehood, along with former ministers Andrea Jenkyns and Amanda Milling. Rees-Mogg received a knighthood alongside former housing secretary Simon Clarke and MPs Conor Burns and Michael Fabricant.

Tees Valley Mayor Benjamin Houchen and London Assembly member Shaun Bailey are among seven nominations for peerages. However, former minister Nadine Dorries and former Cop26 president Sir Alok Sharma were not put forward for the House of Lords. It was reported that the pair were initially in line to receive peerages, but the government removed them from the list to avoid two potentially damaging by-elections. Dorries stood down with “immediate effect” hours before the list was published, resulting in a by-election in her constituency.

Lord Newby, leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords, called Johnson’s resignation honours list a “clear failure of leadership” from the prime minister. Opposition MPs were also critical of the list, with Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner calling it a “sickening insult” to COVID victims and deputy Lib Dem leader Daisy Cooper calling it “corruption pure and simple.”

A former ally of Johnson called the list “an utter disgrace”, saying, “It’s rewards for failure all round. A list of bullies, sycophants and slimeballs. Boris has slammed the door shut on the prospect of any return to the frontline of British politics and trashed what remained of his legacy.”

Resignation honours are granted by an outgoing prime minister according to tradition. The reigning monarch is requested to grant peerages, knighthoods, damehoods or other awards in the British honours system to any number of people. The House of Lords Appointments Commission vets the list for peerages.