31 July 2020

Who are the people nominated for peerages?

31 July 2020

The Prime Minister’s brother Jo Johnson and cricketing star Sir Ian Botham are some of the 36 people nominated for a seat in the House of Lords as a list of peerages was published on Friday.

The list includes Boris Johnson’s picks of former MPs from both his own party and Tory grandees, as well as ex-Labour MPs who rebelled over Brexit.

– Jo Johnson

Jo Johnson was a minister of sate and MP for Orpington until 2019 when he resigned from his older brother’s Cabinet citing he was “torn between family loyalty and the national interest”.

He had served as an MP since 2010 and is eight years younger than the Prime Minister.

– Ken Clarke

Former Conservative chancellor Ken Clarke was picked for a peerage by the Prime Minister after retiring from the Commons in 2019.

The Remain supporter was one of 21 MPs who had the whip removed after rebelling against the Government over Brexit.

Tory leadership race (PA Archive)

He served as chancellor between 1993 and 1997 after serving as home secretary.

– Philip Hammond

Fellow former chancellor Philip Hammond, who also stood down during last year’s general election, has been nominated for a peerage.

He was elected six times in his seat of Runnymede and Weybridge but also had the whip removed in September 2019.

-Ed Vaizey

Ed Vaizey, former minister of state for culture and ex-MP for Wantage, also found himself with a nomination from the Prime Minister.

Like Mr Clarke and Mr Hammond, Mr Vaizey had the Tory whip withdrawn after seeking to block Mr Johnson’s efforts to reach an agreement with Brussels.

– Ruth Davidson

Other prominent Conservatives named in Friday’s list include former leader of the Scottish Conservative Party Ruth Davidson, who is the MSP for Edinburgh Central.

Ms Davidson quit as leader suddenly in August 2019 after eight years in the role, not long after returning from maternity leave following the birth of her son Finn.

At the time she cited both personal and professional reasons for leaving the post, noting the “conflict” she had felt over Brexit.

– Kate Hoey

EU referendum (PA Archive)

Ms Hoey, former Labour MP for Vauxhall and former chairwoman of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee, is one of several ex-Labour MPs nominated for non-affiliated peerages.

Ms Hoey, who did not stand for re-election in last year’s general election, was an outspoken supporter of Brexit.

-Ian Austin

Ms Hoey is joined on the list by Ian Austin, ex-Labour turned Independent MP for Dudley North and former parliamentary under-secretary of state for communities and local government.

-John Woodcock

Ex-Labour MP for Barrow and Furness John Woodcock has also gained a nomination in Friday’s list.

Mr Woodcock, who served as MP for Barrow and Furness between 2010 and 2019, backed Remain but supported Mr Johnson’s Brexit deal.

He sat as an independent since 2018 and he urged Labour voters not to support Jeremy Corbyn.

– Frank Field

Former Labour whip Frank Field, ex-chairman of the Work and Pensions Select Committee and former MP for Birkenhead, was nominated too.

Mr Field stood as an independent in the last election after he resigned the Labour whip in 2018, citing anti-Semitism and “nastiness” in the party.

– Gisela Stuart

Vote Leave chairwoman and former Labour MP for Birmingham Edgbaston Gisela Stuart, who endorsed Mr Johnson during the 2019 general election, can also head to the House of Lords.

She represented the seat between 1997 and 2017.

– Sir Ian Botham

Outside of the House of Commons, former England cricketer and commentator Sir Ian Botham was nominated for a crossbench peerage.

England v Australia – Fifth Test – Day Four – 2019 Ashes Series – The Kia Oval (PA Archive)

Sir Ian – one of England’s greatest cricketers with 5,200 test runs and 383 wickets – publicly supported the Brexit campaign, appearing alongside Mr Johnson before the referendum.

– Evgeny Lebedev

Owner of the Evening Standard, Evgeny Lebedev was nominated for a crossbench peerage.

The Russian media mogul, who also owns The Independent and London Live, is a long-time friend of the Prime Minister.

Mr Lebedev also worked closely with former editor of the Evening Standard and former chancellor George Osborne.

– Veronica Wadley

Veronica Wadley, a former editor of the Evening Standard and chairwoman of the Expert Panel for Model Music Curriculum, was also nominated.

Ms Wadley collected a CBE for services to the Arts in 2018.

– Charles Moore

Former editor of the Daily Telegraph and Margaret Thatcher biographer Charles Moore was also nominated for a non-affiliated seat in the Lords.

– Sir Edward Lister

The Prime Minister has also nominated party allies including his chief strategic adviser Sir Edward Lister, a long-term ally who supported him as London mayor.

Coronavirus – Tue Jul 21, 2020 (PA Wire)

Sir Edward also served as deputy mayor of London between 2011 and 2012.

– Aamer Sarfraz

Conservative Party Treasurer Aamer Sarfraz also received a nomination on Friday.

Mr Sarfraz is a venture partner at Draper Associates.

– Sir Henry Bellingham

Other former MPs named on Friday’s list include Sir Henry Bellingham, former MP for North West Norfolk.

Sir Henry was first elected as a Tory MP in 1983 and ran as a candidate for speaker of the House of Commons in an effort to succeed John Bercow, who was absent from Friday’s list.

– Nicholas Herbert

Nicholas Herbert, former Conservative MP for Arundel and South Downs, was also nominated.

Mr Herbert, who is also known as Nick, represented the constituency between 2005 and 2019 and is a former minister of state for policing and criminal justice.

– James Wharton

Former parliamentary under-secretary of state for international development and Member of Parliament for Stockton South James Wharton has also earned a nomination from the Prime Minister.

Mr Wharton was defeated in the 2017 general election by the Labour candidate, before fellow Tory Matt Vickers took the seat again in 2019.

– Mark Lancaster

Conservative MP for Milton Keynes North Mark Lancaster retired from the seat in 2019.

He had served as the MP for the Buckinghamshire constituency since 2010, serving as the MP for the North East Milton Keynes constituency for five years before boundaries were redrawn.

He held the role of minister for the armed forces for two years.

– Sir Patrick McLoughlin

Cabinet reshuffle (PA Archive)

Former chairman of the Conservative Party Sir Patrick McLoughlin was nominated for a seat in the House of Lords by the Prime Minister.

The former MP for Derbyshire Dales also held the positions of transport secretary and chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster during his Commons career which began in 1986.

– Lorraine Fullbrook

Former Tory MP for South Ribble Lorraine Fullbrook retired from the House of Commons in 2015 after serving one term in the consistency.

– Kathryn Clark

Labour MP Kathryn Clark, also known as Katy, served as the MP for North Ayrshire and Arran between 2005 and 2015.

– Susan Hayman

Fellow Labour MP Susan Hayman, also known as Sue, was the MP for Workington between 2015 and 2019, where she was defeated at the general election.

She served as shadow environment secretary under Jeremy Corbyn and was nominated by the former Labour leader.

– Nigel Dodds

Nigel Dodds, MP for Belfast North until 2019, was nominated as the former Westminster leader of the DUP.

Nigel Dodds served for almost two decades before losing his seat to John Finucane of Sinn Fein during last year’s general election.

General Election 2019 (PA Archive)

– Claire Fox

Former Brexit Party MEP Claire Fox, director and founder of the Institute of Ideas think tank, has been nominated for a non-affiliated peerage.

Ms Fox joined Nigel Farage for the Brexit Party’s general election campaign last year.

– Andrew Sharpe

Andrew Sharpe, chairman of the National Conservative Convention, was also nominated for a peerage by Mr Johnson on Friday.

– Daniel Moylan

Chairman of the not-for-profit organisation Urban Design London, Daniel Moylan was nominated by the Prime Minister.

Mr Moylan is also a former member of Kensington and Chelsea Council.

– Brinley Davies

Brinley Davies, the director of Union Pension Services Ltd – a consultancy service which helps with pensions mainly for trade unions- was nominated by Labour.

Prime Minister’s Questions (PA Archive)

– Michael Spencer

Chairman of the right-leaning think tank Centre for Policy Studies Michael Spencer was nominated for a peerage on Friday by the Prime Minister.

– Dame Helena Morrissey

Dame Helena Morrissey established the 30% Club to campaign for more female representation on company boards.

She is also the CEO of Newton Investment Management and was nominated by Mr Johnson.

– Neil Mendoza

Provost of Oriel College, Oxford, Neil Mendoza was nominated for a peerage.

Mr Mendoza is also a non-executive board member of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

– Prem Sikka

Prem Sikka, a professor of accounting at the University of Sheffield, was nominated for a peerage by Jeremy Corbyn.

He led a report commissioned by Labour in 2018 to examine the pay of top executives, recommending the remuneration of executives at 7,000 large companies should be subject to an annual binding vote.

– Anthony Woodley

Former joint-general secretary of the union Unite, Anthony Woodley was also nominated by Mr Corbyn.

– Dame Louise Casey

Former civil servant Dame Louise Casey was nominated for a crossbench peerage.

Dame Louise is also a visiting professor at King’s College London and co-founder and chairwoman of the Institute of Global Homelessness.

– Dame Minouche Shafik

Director of the London School of Economics and Political Science and former deputy governor at the Bank of England, Dame Minouche was nominated for a crossbench peerage.

In addition to the 36 peerages announced on Friday, Philip May, husband of former prime minister Theresa May, is set for a knighthood.

Hillingdon Council leader Raymond Puddifoot will also receive a knighthood.

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