War of words between Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson over honors list

Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson traded quips on Monday in the latter’s resignation honors list, as MPs prepared to publish a highly critical report about the former prime minister’s conduct.

Sunak accused Johnson of asking him to wave through a long list of aides in the House of Lords, prompting the former prime minister to say that the current prime minister was “bullshit”.

A war of words took place as MPs on the cross-party House of Commons Privileges Committee met to finalize their report into whether Johnson deliberately misled parliament about the Partygate scandal.

Sunak made the rounds after Sunak announced on Friday he was leaving the Commons, with the former premier claiming the committee was engaged in a “political hit job” despite not having “a shred of evidence” against him.

Johnson made his surprise move shortly after his resignation honors list was published, which included peers and other gongs for many of his colleagues.

Sunak said Johnson had asked him to scrap the advice of the Appointments Commission of the House of Lords, which scrutinizes nominations for peers.

“When it comes to respect and Boris Johnson, Boris Johnson asked me to do something I was not prepared to do because I didn’t think it was right, either . . . promises to the committee or the people Do it,” said Sunak.

The Lords Appointments Commission has confirmed that it has rejected eight proposed candidates for the peerages made by Johnson.

Downing Street has denied claims by Johnson’s aides that Sunak broke a promise to sift through the former’s entire resignation honors list.

“I wasn’t ready to do it because I didn’t think it was right,” Sunak said at the Tech Week conference in London.

“And if people don’t like it, tough. When I got this job I said I’m going to do something different because I’m going to change politics.

Johnson hit back angrily at Sunak, saying that he had not asked for the Lords’ appointments commission to be dismissed.

He suggested that he wanted the commission to re-nominate some of his nominees to peers, saying: “It was not necessary for the overarching (commission) to honor these fellows – but simply to recognize them.” To ask my vet to renew, which was a formality.”

Meanwhile the Commons Privileges Committee is set to issue its report into Johnson’s conduct as soon as Tuesday.

The committee is expected to accuse Johnson of misleading the Commons when he said while he was prime minister that he did not know about parties held in Number 10 during the Covid-19 restrictions.

MPs on the committee have been given extra protection amid allegations by Johnson that they have behaved like a “kangaroo court”.

Leveling-up secretary Michael Gove told the BBC: “I condemn the fact (committee MPs) are now in a position where, according to reports, they have had to demand and be provided with extra security. I My condolences to them and their families.”

Two former MPs who had hoped to gain a peerage from Johnson – Nadine Dorries and Nigel Adams – have also announced they are leaving the Commons, prompting three parliamentary by-elections.

Johnson and Adams formally triggered the mechanism to drop out of Parliament, prompting the government to decide when to call the by-elections.

Labor is confident of winning Johnson’s Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency, where it had a majority of 7,210 at the last general election.

But Adams’ Selby and Anstey seat in Yorkshire will be tough for Labour: the Tories have a 20,137 majority.

The Liberal Democrats are focusing their efforts on winning the Dorries’ Mid Bedfordshire constituency, where the Conservatives hold a majority of 24,664.

Speculation has run rampant in Westminster about the possibility of Johnson attempting to return to the Commons at the next general election, after he said on Friday he was leaving parliament “for now”.

Senior Tory figures expressed differing views about whether Johnson should be allowed to stand again as a Conservative parliamentary candidate after dropping out.

A minister said: “He has just resigned from his seat which has a majority of over 7,000. What right does he have to look for another?

However, a Conservative official said that barring Johnson from being on the list of Tory parliamentary candidates would be highly unusual and would “cause another drama” in the party.