BORIS Johnson is considering making Nadine Dorries a peer in the House of Lords, according to reports.
Johnson’s Culture Secretary has been one of his most loyal backers in cabinet and he is now thought to be considering a place for her in his resignation honours list.
This would be part of a convention that allows departing Prime Ministers to recommend people to the House of Lords before leaving office.
The Sunday Times has reported that Dorries is “expected” to ditch frontline politics for the Lords and focus on novel writing following Johnson’s exit as Tory leader.
Other reported candidates thought to be in line for a peerage are Paul Dacre, former editor of the Daily Mail, and billionaire Tory donor Michael Hintze, with possible appointments within the next few months.
It was also reported that a No 10 official got in touch with a senior Tory to probe whether the Prime Minister's father, Stanley Johnson, could be given a knighthood on the grounds that he was “once an MEP”, but the figure advised against it.
And Allegra Stratton, who quit as Johnson’s spokesperson after she was caught joking about a Downing Street gathering in the early days of the partygate scandal, is also said to be “tipped” for a peerage from the Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, details of Johnson’s final days in office continue to emerge. Before meeting a group of cabinet ministers urging Johnson to go on Wednesday, Dorries reportedly advised the Prime Minister: “You send them packing.”
Dorries reportedly considered her own bid to carry on the legacy of Johnson’s premiership but has reportedly claimed that the contest would be a “bloodbath” and that the Tory rebellion had unleashed the “hounds of hell”.
The Cabinet Office has been contacted for a comment on the resignation honours list.
