Former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries could be blocked from getting the peerage promised by Boris Johnson.
The ex-Prime Minister nominated four MP pals for seats in the House of Lords among a slew of resignation honours.
They had been expected to hang on to their Commons seats until the next election to prevent by-elections, but now it has emerged Rishi Sunak may block the peerages over concerns about the precedent it would set.
Ms Dorries, an ultra-loyalist to Boris Johnson, has been put forward to join the second chamber alongside outgoing COP26 President Alok Sharma, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack and former Tory frontbencher Nigel Adams.
But the controversial appointments break the principle that MPs cannot sit in the Lords at the same time.
Last week in the Lords, Cabinet Office minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe said: “It is a common law principle that members of the House of Lords cannot sit as MPs and, as such, would need to stand down from the House of Commons.”
She added that cases of individuals delaying taking up Lords seats were “limited” and related to their “personal circumstances".
Constitutional experts told The Times that the King could be dragged into the row if the new monarch is forced into a spat between Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson.
The House of Lords Appointment Commission is reportedly vetting Johnson’s resignation list and could advise against several of the appointments.
The latest row comes as Labour leader Keir Starmer pledged to abolish the House of Lords over the weekend. Sir Keir has vowed to replace it with a new elected chamber in a bid to “restore trust in politics” should Labour win the next election. He added that it had become a home for “lackeys and donors”.
Boris Johnson has nominated around a dozen allies for peerages in a resignation honours list that threatens to embarrass PM Rishi Sunak. The House of Lords is already the largest second chamber in the world with members able to claim £323 pounds a day tax-free.
Labour has called for the Prime Minister to block the peerages.
Deputy Leader Angela Rayner said: "These underhand attempts to game the system by installing a conveyor belt of cronies should never see the light of day.
"By rewarding Boris Johnson’s lackeys, Rishi Sunak would be yet again putting the Tory party’s interests before the public’s. He should refuse to do Boris Johnson’s bidding and make it clear that he will reject these demands.
“Only Labour has a plan to clean up politics and restore standards in public life.”
No 10 declined to comment further on “speculation” when contacted by the Mirror.
