Rishi Sunak is facing calls to delay or cancel Boris Johnson's resignation dozens of his honours list rewarding allies after the former prime minister was reported to police over fresh Partygate allegations.
Labour and the Liberal Democrats said Sunak should pull the list of about 50 names, which is thought to be nearing approval and could be published within two weeks.
Some Conservatives are privately baffled as to why Sunak would be willing to go ahead with the list. It is expected to cause the prime minister a headache because it would hand peerages to three MPs - Nadine Dorries, Alok Sharma and Nigel Adams and trigger potentially difficult byelections.
The prospect of more honours for Johnson's allies will now be even more controversial after the Cabinet Office passed his pandemic diaries to two police forces over concerns about more potential rule-breaches during Covid.
The documents outlining about a dozen events at both the prime minister's grace-and-favour mansion, Chequers, and 10 Downing Street, between June 2020 and May 2021, were provided by Johnson to his government-appointed lawyers. They raised the issue with the Cabinet Office, which paid for the lawyers, and officials there decided that under the civil service code, they should refer the matter to the police.
Johnson has severed ties with government lawyers supporting him during the Covid inquiry. Allies said he had "lost faith" in the system. His critics said Sunak and Johnson should abandon plans for a resignation honours list, with a string of reports about names submitted including party donors, aides and at one point even included a proposed knighthood for his father, Stanley Johnson.
Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin May 25, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin May 25, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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