Sunak faces pressure to cancel Boris' honours list amid disclosure of Covid-era events

United Kingdom's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is being appealed to either cancel or delay Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list through which dozens of his allies will be rewarded in the wake of the former prime minister facing a police investigation over fresh Partygate allegations.

Labour and the Lib Dems stated that the prime minister should pull the list containing around 50 names which are likely to get approved and can be published in the next two weeks.

The thought that Sunak is willing to go ahead with Boris Johnson’s list has also left some Conservatives baffled.

Covid-era events hosted at both Chequers and Downing Street

The plan of honouring Johnson’s allies has now become more controversial after his pandemic diaries were passed by the Cabinet Officeto two police forces over concerns about potential rule breaches during Covid.

The documents include a dozen events which were hosted at the prime minister’s grace-and-favour mansion, Chequers, and No 10. The events were held between June 2020 and May 2021. The documents were handed by Johnson to his government-appointed lawyers. Since the lawyers were being paid by the Cabinet Office, they also received the diaries and they decided that the matter should be referred to the police under the civil service code.

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The diaries were reported to contain events which were not part of the investigation carried out by the Met police last year and also were not included in the Whitehall inquiry headed by then-senior civil servant Sue Gray.

After allies of Johnson expressed their fury at the situation, No 10 emphasised that Sunak was not involved in the decision to hand over the pandemic diaries of the former prime minister.

“We have not seen the information or material in question,” said the official spokesperson of Sunak on Wednesday, adding that the ministers had “no involvement in this process and were only made aware after the police had been contacted”.

Sunak should abandon Johnson's resignation honours list, say critics

The critics have stated Sunak needs to cancel plans related to Johnson's resignation honours list, which includes names of party donors, aides and even Boris Johnson’s father Stanley Johnson,as a string of reports emerge aboutPartygate.

Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said that the list cannot go ahead in the wake of fresh accusations against Johnson.

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“With the disgraced former prime minister now facing new allegations and under multiple investigations, there should be no question of Rishi Sunak approving honours for his cronies and cheerleaders. The prime minister should refuse to do Boris Johnson’s bidding and make it clear that he will reject these demands. His top priority right now should be tackling the cost of living crisis facing ordinary people, not handing out more rewards for 13 years of Tory failure," Rayner added.

Liberal Democrat chief whip Wendy Chamberlain stated, “The days of exiting prime ministers nominating peers should be left in the past, particularly when they leave under a cloud of scandal like Boris Johnson. At the very least, Rishi Sunak must step in and delay this list while Johnson is under police investigation.”

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