Boris Johnson has handed a knighthood to a senior Conservative MP who turned against his leadership and called for his resignation earlier this week.
Former cabinet minister Jeremy Wright, Tory MP for Kenilworth and Southam, has been given the gong as part of the Queen’s platinum jubilee birthday honours.
The timing of the announcement is awkward for the prime minister, coming only days after Mr Wright condemned Mr Johnson over Partygate and asked him to resign “for the good of this and future governments”.
The Tory backbencher said Mr Johnson bore “personal responsibility” for the culture at No 10, arguing that the prime minister would “hinder” the restoration of the government’s reputation.
Mr Wright, the former attorney general, was recognised in the honours for his work on the thorny legal issues in the Brexit negotiations and response to the chemical attack in Syria.
Meanwhile, former DUP leader and Northern Ireland first minister Arlene Foster – the first woman to hold either position – was given a damehood for her public service.
The top unionist figure was in charge of the DUP when the party propped up Theresa May’s Conservative government in the aftermath of the 2017 general election.
Dame Arlene said she was “thrilled and delighted” at the award. “As a big royalist, it’s a huge honour to receive this damehood in the 70th year of Her Majesty’s reign.”
Other political figures to receive honours as part of the Queen’s jubilee celebrations include former Tory equalities minister Maria Miller MP and Labour MP Nia Griffith MP, who were both handed damehoods.
Ms Miller was recognised for her campaigning work on equalities – having introduced same-sex marriage legislation – while Ms Griffith was also hailed for her campaigning work for women and the LGBT+ community.
Labour MP Stephen Timms, who has represented East Ham for almost 30 years, was handed a knighthood. Known for his campaigning work on poverty, the veteran MP chairs the work and pensions select committee.
Elsewhere, Tracey Crouch – the Tory MP who led the recent fan-led review of English football – was made an OBE. Fellow Conservative backbencher Chris Skidmore, the former universities minister, was also given an OBE.
Mr Skidmore said: “I’m very grateful for the award for my continued work in higher education and the environment since leaving government – though don’t deserve it compared to the thousands of academics and businesses working hard to deliver on our climate commitments.”
Jonathan Powell, former No 10 chief of staff under Tony Blair, was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George for his services to foreign policy.
Several UK officials who worked in Afghanistan at the time of the evacuation have also been included in the latest honours list.
Dr Martin Longden, former charge d’affaires of the UK mission to Afghanistan, was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George. Deputy ambassador to the British Embassy in Kabul, Alexander Pinfield, working there until October 2021, gets an OBE.
Last week MPs on the foreign affairs select committee criticised the government’s handling of the evacuation of Kabul – but praised personnel on the ground during Operation Pitting.
