Labour tonight demanded Rishi Sunak block Boris Johnson's "conveyor belt of cronies" after he offered peerages to two young aides, four MP allies and the man who donated his Caribbean holiday.
The ex-PM is thought to have suggested life-long Lords seats for former No10 staffers Ross Kempsell, 30, and Charlotte Owen, believed to be in her late 20s.
Mr Kempsell is an ex-journalist who interviewed Mr Johnson about making model buses out of “old wooden crates” - before joining Downing Street under his leadership.
If they are not blocked by a Lords watchdog, the pair will be allowed to pocket £332 each day they turn up until they die.
A peerage is also said to be due to Carphone Warehouse co-founder David Ross, a Tory donor who funded Mr Johnson’s 2020 holiday to Mustique.
Sitting MPs Nadine Dorries, Nigel Adams, Alok Sharma and Alister Jack are also due to move to the Lords, a leaked list said.
But the cowardly ex-PM is trying to delay the MPs’ gongs to avoid a Tory by-election humiliation.
The Mirror understands he has personally asked all the MPs to delay taking up their Lords seats until after the next election.
That will save Cabinet ministers Mr Sharma and Mr Jack - who have majorities under 5,000 - losing their seats to Labour and the SNP in the middle of a Parliament.
Constitutional expert Lord Norton of Louth previously said the arrangement would be "unprecedented".
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner added: "This disgraced ex-Prime Minister’s plot to dodge democracy by trying to reward his MP lackeys with promised jobs for life in the House of Lords yet again puts the Tory Party’s interests before the public’s.
"These underhand attempt to game the system by installing a conveyor belt of cronies and skewing Parliament in the Tories’ favour for decades to come should never see the light of day.
"Rishi Sunak should make it clear in no uncertain terms that he will refuse to do Boris Johnson’s bidding and reject his disreputable demands.”
It's thought the list has to be approved by the House of Lords Appointments Commission, the PM and then the King.
No10 said it was "a long-standing convention" that PMs approve their predecessor's list and would not be drawn on whether Rishi Sunak could block Boris Johnson's.
SNP Deputy Westminster Leader Kirsten Oswald said: "The Tories are running scared of democracy because they are tanking in the polls and are afraid they'll lose to the SNP.
"Voters deserve better than a Baron-in-waiting biding his time until he can cash in on a £300-a-day job for life."
A peerage is also due to London mayor flop Shaun Bailey, who said people would spend a basic income on “lots of drugs” and attended a party in the Tory HQ basement during Covid lockdown rules.
Former No10 chief of staff Dan Rosenfield is also said to be on the list, despite serving for just 13 months and resigning in a clearout of top aides over Partygate.
Labour MP Andy McDonald said Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen “must step down” if he joins the Lords.
Ben Gascoigne, the former No10 deputy chief of staff, is said to be on the list as is former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre - who was blocked previously.
Mr Johnson already awarded 13 political peerages last month, but as a resigning PM he has also drawn up a one-off resignation honours list - which will need sign-off by Lords vetting procedures and the King.
It’s understood he believes all those nominated “will make a significant contribution to public life and will engage fully in the work of the House of Lords”.
A source close to the ex-PM said: "We never comment on speculation about honours".
