The
prime minister nominated seven Conservative figures to get law-making privileges, including old party Treasurer and donor Peter Cruddas, ex-minister Richard Benyon, and former MEPs Daniel Hannan and Syed Kamall.
Labour also nominated former MPs Jenny Chapman and Vernon Coaker, as well as the leader of Leeds City Council Judith Blake CBE, and Gillian Merron, the chief executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews. Image: There will now be more than 830 peers
Four new crossbenchers have also been lined up to join the Lords, propelling the former most senior civil servant at the Foreign Office Sir Simon McDonald and former MI5 director general Sir Andrew Parker into parliament.
Boris Johnson overrules Lords watchdog with Peter Cruddas peerage
Prime Minister accused of cronyism after ennobling City tycoon despite vetting body having raised historic concerns
22 December 2020 • 5:02pm
Peter Cruddas is among 16 people awarded peerages in a list published by Number 10 on Tuesday
Credit: Heathcliff O Malley
Boris Johnson on Tuesday overruled the Lords appointments watchdog to hand multimillionaire party donor Peter Cruddas a peerage.
The House of Lords Appointments Commission had objected to the nomination of the City tycoon on the basis of historic concerns over his involvement in a cash for access row during his term as Conservative Party treasurer.
Last modified on Tue 22 Dec 2020 23.37 EST
Boris Johnson has been accused of cronyism after he gave a peerage to a former Conservative party co-treasurer in defiance of advice from the Lords Appointments Commission.
Peter Cruddas, a businessman, philanthropist and Tory donor, was one of 16 people on a list of newly created political peerages – seven Conservative, five Labour, and four crossbench.
In a highly unusual move, Downing Street published the list alongside an open letter from Johnson to Paul Bew, the chair of the commission, explaining why he was putting Cruddas in the upper house without its approval.
Cruddas resigned as Conservative co-treasurer in 2012 after the Sunday Times claimed he was offering access to the prime minister for up to £250,000. A year later Cruddas won £180,000 in damages in a libel action, although that was subsequently reduced to £50,000 after aspects of the original allegations were upheld when the paper appealed.
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Boris Johnson appointed a former Tory treasurer to the upper house despite concerns from watchdogs THE Prime Minister is facing a cronyism row after he appointed a Tory donor as a life peer despite concerns from watchdogs. Boris Johnson brushed aside objections from the House of Lords Appointments Commission to elevate former Tory treasurer Peter Cruddas to the upper house. Lord Speaker Lord Fowler also voiced concerns about the number of peers appointed by the Prime Minister, with the total number sitting in the House now standing at 842. He said: “Mr Johnson has added 16 to his list of appointments bringing the total for the year up to 52 new peers over two lists.