Sunak denies Johnson’s request to ignore HOLAC’s Lords appointment advice

Rishi Sunak has claimed that Boris Johnson requested him to disregard the House of Lords Appointments Commission’s (HOLAC) recommendations regarding his resignation list appointments to the House of Lords. HOLAC has verified that it did not approve eight of the former prime minister’s nominations. Sunak stated that he declined Johnson’s request, as he believed it was not the right thing to do.

Sunak’s statement was made during a tech conference in London and marks a new development in the ongoing dispute over Johnson’s contentious resignation honours list. This follows Johnson’s resignation from Parliament on Friday, in response to a report from the Privileges Committee investigating whether he had misled MPs about lockdown parties at Downing Street.

The resignation honours list was published by Downing Street shortly after Johnson’s announcement but did not include the names of key supporters such as Nadine Dorries, Sir Alok Sharma, and Nigel Adams. All three were anticipating appointments to the House of Lords. There are now conflicting accounts regarding the removal of these names.

Both Adams and Dorries have declared their intention to resign as MPs immediately, leading to by-elections to fill their positions. As a departing prime minister, Johnson has the authority to nominate individuals for seats in the House of Lords and other honours, such as knighthoods. Typically, current prime ministers submit their list of nominees to HOLAC, which can recommend that certain names not be forwarded after a vetting process.

On Sunday, a HOLAC spokesperson confirmed that eight of Johnson’s nominations were rejected but did not disclose the names or reasons for their rejection, stating that the commission “does not comment on individuals.” Downing Street maintains that Sunak submitted Johnson’s list of nominees without alterations and that HOLAC’s approved list was accepted and forwarded to the King.

However, on Monday, an individual claiming to be an ally of Johnson accused the prime minister of covertly obstructing peerages for “Nadine and others.” The source added, “He refused to ask for them to undergo basic checks that could have taken only a few weeks or even days. That is how he kept them off the list – without telling Boris Johnson.”