Boris Johnson allies have come to the defence of a Downing Street adviser who is set to become the UK’s youngest ever life peer amid accusations she overstated her time at No 10.
Charlotte Owen is one of seven nominees to the House of Lords that were approved as part of Mr Johnson’s resignation honours list that has sparked a war of words between the former prime minister and Rishi Sunak.
Ms Owen claims in her LinkedIn profile that she worked in the No 10 policy unit as a special adviser between February 2021 until October 2022, as reported by Tortoise.
She is not named in the special advisers report in 2021, but her name does appear the following year.
A source at No 10 told Tortoise: “It is not what she says on her LinkedIn. She never worked in the policy unit. She was promoted very heavily by Nigel Adams [the former minister who resigned as an MP last week]… but there were dozens of people more senior than her.”
The insider added: “It is completely staggering – her peerage is one of the most strange and hardest to explain because she was so extraordinarily junior.”
However, Sir James Duddridge, who worked as a private parliamentary secretary for Mr Johnson between February to July 2022, has disputed claims that Ms Owen’s time at No 10 was exaggerated.
In a tweet Sir James said: “As Boris’s PPS I can confirm Charlotte worked in No10 as an adviser since Feb 2021 and did an outstanding job working for the boss.
“She was in the shadows but was a serious player but never wanted to be in the limelight like so many inferior people.”
It comes as Lord Foulkes of Cumnock aimed a broadside at Ms Owen and Mr Johnson’s other choices to join the House of Lords.
The former Labour minister said the government’s legislative agenda was in “total dissaray” after sitting through sessions at 4.16am last Thursday and 2am this Tuesday.
He added: “I wonder if Boris’s friends who are going to join us have been told what to expect.
“How is Ben Houchen going to manage to get down from Teesside suddenly on a Wednesday morning?
“What about Charlotte Owen? It’s going to interfere with her social life. Nadine Dorries doesn’t realise what she is gaining by not being nominated for this place.Members are being treated disgracefully.”
Chief whip in the Lords Baroness Williams of Trafford offered a stinging rebuke in response to his remarks about Ms Owen. She said: “May I say I find it utterly condescending that he would speak about a young lady and her social life in such condescending terms.”
The issue of Ms Owen’s time at Downing Street is yet another controversy to erupt as a consequence of Mr Johnson’s honours list after a number of his allies, including Nadine Dorries, did not get peerages.
Meanwhile, a cross-party report is expected to be released on Thursday finding that Mr Johnson misled Parliament with his denials over Partygate, likely putting a permanent end to his political career.
