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Boris Johnson awards close allies and aides linked to partygate in resignation honours list

Jacob Rees-Mogg and Priti Patel were given a knighthood and a damehood.

BORIS JOHNSON HAS been accused of cronyism after handing out peerages, knighthoods and other gongs to his closest allies, including Jacob Rees-Mogg and Priti Patel, and aides linked to the partygate scandal.

The former prime minister’s long-awaited resignation honours list, released by the British government this afternoon, was branded a “catalogue of cronies” by critics.

Those put forward for a knighthood included staunch loyalist Rees-Mogg, former housing secretary Simon Clarke, and MPs Conor Burns and Michael Fabricant.

Former home secretary Patel was nominated for a damehood, along with former ministers Andrea Jenkyns and Amanda Milling.

The former head of operations at No 10, Shelley Williams-Walker, will also receive a damehood, along with Johnson’s former personal assistant, Ann Sindall.

Johnson also heaped rewards on those who worked in Downing Street at the time of lockdown-busting parties.

Honours for Jack Doyle, who was Johnson’s communications chief when the partygate story broke, and Martin Reynolds, his former principal private secretary who sent the infamous “bring your own booze” email to No 10 staff, are likely to raise eyebrows.

Benjamin Gascoigne, a former deputy chief of staff to the ex-prime minister will enter the House of Lords alongside Ross Kempsell, a former political director of the Conservative Party.

Charlotte Owen, a former adviser to Johnson, will become one of the youngest peers, while Kulveer Singh Ranger, a former director of transport while Boris Johnson was London mayor, will also be elevated to the Lords.

Former No 10 chief of staff Dan Rosenfield will also enter the UK’s upper chamber.

prime-minister-boris-johnson-and-home-secretary-priti-patel-during-a-visit-to-surrey-police-headquarters-in-guildford-surrey-to-coincide-with-the-publication-of-the-governments-beating-crime-plan Former British home secretary Priti Patel has been nominated for a damehood. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Notably absent from the list were former culture secretary Nadine Dorries and Alok Sharma, president of the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow, following reports the Government cut them at the 11th hour to swerve potentially damaging by-elections in their seats.

Stanley Johnson, the former Conservative leader’s father, was also said to have been put forward for a knighthood. However, his name was also not included on the list. 

Downing Street has sought to distance Rishi Sunak from the list.

“He had no involvement or input into the approved list,” the UK Prime Minister’s press secretary said.

Dorries earlier announced she was standing down as an MP “with immediate effect”, triggering an early election battle in her Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

file-photo-dated-140722-of-nadine-dorries-at-the-launch-of-liz-trusss-campaign-to-be-conservative-party-leader-and-prime-minister-at-kings-buildings-smith-square-london-ms-dorries-will-stand-i Former culture secretary Nadine Dorries was notably absent from the list. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Labour’s Angela Rayner called the list a “sickening insult”.

The deputy leader said: “Instead of tackling the cost-of-living crisis, the Tories are spending their time doling out rewards for those who tried to cover up rule-breaking and toadied to a disgraced former prime minister.

“It’s a sickening insult that those who planned Covid parties and held boozy lockdown bashes while families were unable to mourn loved ones are now set to be handed gongs by Rishi Sunak.”

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “Boris Johnson has been allowed to hand out gongs to his partygate pals, and Rishi Sunak has just waved it through.

“We’ve gone from the lavender list to the catalogue of cronies.”

Richard 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.

“Boris Johnson caused crisis after crisis in this country. His lack of honour means he didn’t deserve an honours list in the first place.

“Yet Sunak has caved in, rewarding Johnson for his reckless behaviour as prime minister. The British public will be outraged at this out-of-touch decision.

“Rishi Sunak needs to come before Parliament immediately to justify his cowardly failure to block Boris Johnson’s Honours list.”

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    Mute Peter B
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    Apr 28th 2021, 9:34 PM

    Archdiocese and children are two words that should not be in the same sentence.

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    Mute Ian Downes
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    Apr 28th 2021, 10:40 PM

    @Peter B: I was just going to comment that exact sentence. It’s incredible that the catholic church would be let anywhere near children, or women, or anyone at this stage.

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    Mute Barry Somers
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    Apr 29th 2021, 6:02 AM

    @Ian Downes: and yet people think it’s fine for them to run 90% of our schools.

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    Mute Derek Moran
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    Apr 28th 2021, 9:42 PM

    Honestly who would ever leave a child alone with a priest these days?

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    Mute sean o'dhubhghaill
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    Apr 28th 2021, 9:54 PM

    @Derek Moran: The vast, vast majority of priests were, and are, decent people. But, hell, a good generalisation makes a good soundbite.

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    Mute Mango mango
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    Apr 28th 2021, 9:57 PM

    @sean o’dhubhghaill: do you have children? And would you?

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    Mute Lorcan OReilly
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    Apr 28th 2021, 10:02 PM

    @sean o’dhubhghaill: really so the majority of them were speaking out against abuse and helping bring offenders to justice?

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    Mute Barry Somers
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    Apr 29th 2021, 6:06 AM

    @sean o’dhubhghaill: it doesn’t matter if the vast majority of them are decent.

    The organisation is rotten to the core.

    It was the Vatican who wrote the rules to move abusing priests to other parishes, it was the Vatican that wrote the rules about silencing victims, it is the Vatican that refuses to this day to release countless records to governments and the United nations.

    It was the Vatican who sent people over to a commission in Ireland and told victims they were lieing and only in it for the money.

    Imagine if the GAA did all this. What same person who deal with the GAA as a whole afterwards?

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    Mute Derek Moran
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    Apr 29th 2021, 7:32 AM

    @sean o’dhubhghaill: I used to look after the IT for a bunch of them. I’ve seen their viewing history. Let’s just say it doesn’t correspond with their teachings.

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    Mute Barry Somers
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    Apr 28th 2021, 9:50 PM

    Church can’t be bothered to compensate abuse victims, spending money on child protection is a low priority.

    They have the money, it’s just tied up in assets, mainly land which they won’t sell.

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    Mute Mango mango
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    Apr 28th 2021, 10:02 PM

    @Barry Somers: lay management companies have the money, they have it tied up on purpose. It really shows how much they care.

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    Mute Jukebox Jim
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    Apr 28th 2021, 9:45 PM

    Neighbourhood cat ‘committed to protecting mice’ despite slaughtering mice at every available opportunity…

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    Mute Bunny Johnson
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    Apr 29th 2021, 11:19 AM

    @Jukebox Jim: superb analogy!

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    Mute Robert Thomas
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    Apr 28th 2021, 10:28 PM

    “and monitors the activities of priests known to have abused children in the past in order to minimise the chance of them doing so again.”

    I know a better way to make sure it never happens again.

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    Mute Amanda Ui Fhaircheallaigh
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    Apr 28th 2021, 9:40 PM

    Surely, the archdiocese is half as committed as protecting children

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    Mute ÓDuibhír Abú
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    Apr 28th 2021, 10:16 PM

    @Amanda Ui Fhaircheallaigh: Wonder did ArchBishop take a pay cut.

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    Mute The only INFP in Ireland
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    Apr 28th 2021, 10:49 PM

    ‘moniters the activities of priests known to have abused children in the past in order to minimise the chance of them doing so again’ Is this a joke?!

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    Mute Paul Whitehead
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    Apr 29th 2021, 8:23 AM

    This staff cut certainly sends out the wrong message, though I expect the majority of comments here would be exactly the same if they had doubled the number of staff working in child protection.

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    Mute alan
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    Apr 29th 2021, 12:40 PM

    @Paul Whitehead: Using the analogy above, two cats looking after the mice isnt exactly better than one

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