Chris Bryant has questioned why Boris Johnson was given a resignation honours list after the former prime minister was forced to resign over an investigation into whether he misled Parliament over partygate.
Speaking to BBC News, the Labour MP said “all of this just stinks” after Johnson handing out peerages, knighthoods and other gongs to his closest allies, including Jacob Rees-Mogg and Priti Patel, and aides linked to the partygate scandal.
The former prime minister’s long-awaited resignation honours list, released by the Government on Friday afternoon, was branded a “catalogue of cronies” by critics.
Former London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey and Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen were among seven nominations for peerages.
Those put forward for a knighthood included staunch loyalist Mr Rees-Mogg, former housing secretary Simon Clarke, and MPs Conor Burns and Michael Fabricant.
Former home secretary Ms Patel was nominated for a damehood, along with former ministers Andrea Jenkyns and Amanda Milling.
Mr Johnson also heaped rewards on those who worked in Downing Street at the time of lockdown-busting parties.
Honours for Jack Doyle, who was Mr Johnson’s communications chief when the partygate story broke, and Martin Reynolds, his former principal private secretary who sent the infamous “bring your own booze” email to No 10 staff, are likely to raise eyebrows.
Labour’s Angela Rayner called the list a “sickening insult”, and Chris Bryant had this to say:
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