Boris Johnson is set to go ahead with a list of honorable resignations before he leaves Downing Street, it has been confirmed, after speculation it could include gongs for Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries and former Daily Mail editor Paul Daker, among others.
Asked about the prospects for such a list, Johnson’s official spokesman said he could not comment on details but it was “convention” for outgoing prime ministers to confer knighthoods and make appointments to the House of Lords.
“I have no update for you on this matter definitively. I have seen some speculation,” he said when asked about the idea. “It’s a convention – people who can be nominated in recognition of their public or political service, and prime ministers draw up similar lists, but I don’t know specifically about that at this stage.”
Asked about reports that the prime minister’s list could be long, the official said: “I don’t believe there have been any substantive discussions on it at this stage.”
He said he was “unaware” of Johnson planning to knight his father, Stanley Johnson.
According to a report in the Sunday Times, Johnson is considering elevating Doris to the Lords alongside Allegra Stratton, who resigned as his communications chief after he was filmed joking about No 10 parties.
Dacre, who is now editor-in-chief of the Mail’s parent company, is also in the running for the title.
Johnson has previously been criticized for his peer nominations. In an earlier list, he nominated his brother Joe, suspended MP Zach Goldsmith, a close family friend, and Yevgeny Lebedev, a newspaper owner who is also a friend.
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