Tory bosses have insisted they did not rig a ballot for Coronation tickets as an MP suggested the names were picked from a hat by “Lord Lucan whilst riding Shergar”.
Party whips say they allocated the limited places for Conservative MPs in Westminster Abbey for the ceremony at random.
But fresh questions have been raised about the process as it emerged a Tory who had been considering legal action over his sacking as a government minister has been given a ticket.
Conor Burns lost his job as a trade minister and had the whip withdrawn after a complaint about his behaviour at Conservative Party conference in Birmingham in October.
He later was cleared of misconduct and had the whip restored, but has remained on the backbenches.
When contacted by the Mirror, Mr Burns confirmed that he had been given a ticket to the Coronation but he refused to answer questions on whether he would no longer go to court over his sacking.
Asked if he had dropped the threat of possible legal action after being allocated a Coronation ticket, the Bournemouth West MP said: “I have said nothing to anybody about what my intentions are.”
A Tory whips office source said it was “totally untrue” that Mr Burns had been given a ticket in a bid to resolve the dispute over his sacking.
“The Coronation tickets were done by a ballot, so there is no way that could have been the case,” they said.
But one Tory MP wryly suggested: “I am sure the ballot was completely fair and that the names were drawn from a hat at random by Lord Lucan whilst riding Shergar.”
Most parliamentarians will miss out on attending the Coronation ceremony after tickets were reserved for just 50 MPs and 50 peers.
It is understood the Conservatives in the Commons have been allocated around 27 seats, whilst Labour has about 17.
On top of this, there are extra places for former prime ministers, Cabinet ministers and some members of the Privy Council.
Members of the devolved administrations who have accepted tickets include Michelle O’Neill, Sinn Fein's leader in Northern Ireland, and Humza Yousaf, the new First Minister of Scotland.
At the last Coronation in 1953, 800 MPs and 910 peers were invited. However, this time spaces are much more limited as scaffolding has not been erected in Westminster Abbey to create extra seating.
The disappearances of Lord Lucan and Shergar are two of the great unsolved mysteries.
Richard John Bingham - aka Lord Lucan - vanished in November 1974 after his children's nanny was found murdered. He has not been seen since.
Derby winner Shergar was horse-napped by an armed gang in 1983 from the Ballymany Stud in County Kildare, Ireland.
It was suspected to be the work of the IRA, but the body of the iconic racehorse has never been found.
* Follow Mirror Politics on Snapchat, Tiktok, Twitter and Facebook.
