Liberal Democrat MPs are campaigning to block Boris Johnson from having a resignation honours list, and using the promise of gongs to win back support from rebels, if he is forced from office over Partygate.
Letters – seen by The Independent – were submitted to the chairs of the House of Lords Appointments Commission and the Cabinet Office Honours Committee following unconfirmed reports that Mr Johnson had offered knighthoods and peerages to Tory MPs who hold back from submitting letters of no confidence in his leadership.
Wendy Chamberlain, the Lib Dem chief whip, said that without this assurance, a “desperate” PM can be expected to take advantage of the system in his bid to cling to power.
Meanwhile, Mr Johnson is making his first visit to Scotland since the leader of the Scottish Conservatives called for him to quit over the Downing Street Partygate allegations. The PM is using parliament’s half-term break to embark on a “levelling up” tour of the UK, starting in Scotland with visits to a manufacturing site and research and development projects.
