Knighthood for Stanley Johnson would bring system into ‘disrepute’, says David Davis

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Awarding Boris Johnson’s father Stanley a knighthood would bring the honours system into “disrepute”, a senior Tory said on Monday.

Former Brexit Secretary David Davis urged Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to block any move to offer Mr Johnson the knighthood after it was reported he had been nominated by his son, the former prime minister, in his resignation honours list.

Boris Johnson is facing claims of cronyism after reportedly putting forward 100 names in his honours list including close allies like former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries and MP Nigel Adams. The story was first reported by The Times.

Asked if Stanley Johnson should be honoured with a knighthood, Mr Davis told Talk TV: “No. If I if I was Rishi Sunak – [and] he will have the final say – I would allow him whatever is the normal average resignation honours. I wouldn’t allow him 100. I certainly wouldn’t allow just to put family members on . It brings the whole thing into disrepute. The House of Lords is now very worried about what’s happening with its reputation.”

Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting told the BBC: “I can’t wait to see Boris Johnson’s honours list. There’s a reason why it’s been held up and I think it speaks to the pattern of Boris Johnson’s behaviour around cronyism.”

He added: “I couldn’t care less if Stanley Johnson gets a knighthood. What I do find extraordinary is there are still many Conservative MPs who, to this day, continue to defend Boris Johnson’s behaviour. That’s why Rishi Sunak finds the Conservative Party an ungovernable, unleadable rabble.”

Any honour for Stanley Johnson would raise questions for the former Conservative leader.

The former prime minister faced earlier accusations of cronyism in 2020, after he nominated his brother Jo Johnson for a peerage.

In 2021, senior Tory MP Caroline Nokes and a journalist publicly accused Stanley Johnson, a former MEP, of touching them at Conservative party conferences.

Ms Nokes, chairwoman of the Commons Women and Equalities Committee, accused Mr Johnson of forcefully smacking her on the backside and making a vulgar comment at the Conservative Party conference in 2003.

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Stanley Johnson said he had “no recollection” of either incident.

But the Science Minister George Freeman said he was “relaxed” with the nomination as long as “it goes through due process”.

He added on Times Radio: “Being the Prime Minister’s father shouldn’t be a disqualifier in itself.

“He’s had a distinguished career as a conservationist, but that needs to be done by the process on the usual criteria not just because he is the former Prime Minister’s son.”

The Science Secretary Michele Donelan added: “Obviously it’s the ex-prime minister’s prerogative to be able to make those types of appointments, but we’ll see if this story is true or not.”

Asked if she would have a problem with the appointment, Ms Donelan said: “I think there are bigger fish to fry, to be honest.”

A spokesperson for Boris Johnson said: “We don’t comment on honours.”