‘Absolutely outrageous’ if Stanley Johnson given knighthood, Sir Keir Starmer says
Stanley Johnson #StanleyJohnson
Sir Keir Starmer has said it would be “absolutely outrageous” for Stanley Johnson to be given a knighthood as part of his son Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list.
The former prime minister has reportedly, according to The Times, included his father on a list of up to 100 names put forward for honours after he was forced to step down in September following a series of scandals.
Sir Keir questioned what exactly Mr Johnson’s father, a former MEP, would be honoured for, while the Lib Dems called for Rishi Sunak to veto the list.
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“The idea of an ex-prime minister bestowing honours on his dad – for services to what?” the Labour leader told LBC Radio.
“The idea that Boris Johnson is nominating his dad for a knighthood – you only need to say it to realise just how ridiculous it is.
“It’s classic of a man like Johnson. I mean, I think the public will just think this is absolutely outrageous.”
Every outgoing prime minister gets to draw up a list of people they ask the monarch to bestow peerages, or lesser honours, on. There is no limit on how many names they can put forward.
Lib Dem chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said the Conservative Party would be “rewarding Boris Johnson’s failure, lies and corruption”.
“If future honours lists are to have any shred of credibility, Sunak must step in and veto this list,” she said.
“Honours should be reserved for those who’ve gone above and beyond to contribute to our country. Boris Johnson’s attempt to bestow that recognition on his father makes a mockery of the whole thing.”
Is reported Johnson knighthood ‘nepotism’?
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But Mr Sunak’s spokesman said the PM has no plans to change the honours system.
“There are longstanding rules that guard the honours process,” he said.
“There are no plans to change those that I’m aware of.
“It is a matter of fact that outgoing prime ministers are able to nominate people in this way.”
Boris Johnson’s spokesman said: “We don’t comment on honours.”
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The Lib Dems also said “nepotism” from Mr Johnson “isn’t new” after he faced accusations of cronyism in 2020 for nominating his brother Jo Johnson for a peerage.
Lord Johnson of Marylebone now sits in the House of Lords.
In 2021, senior Tory MP Caroline Nokes and a journalist publicly accused Stanley Johnson of inappropriately touching them at Conservative Party conferences.
Ms Nokes, chairwoman of the Commons’ women and equalities committee, accused Stanley Johnson of forcefully smacking her on the backside and making a vulgar comment at the Conservative Party conference in 2003.
Stanley Johnson said after that he had “no recollection” of either incident.