FORMER Scottish secretary Alister Jack is set to be given a seat in the House of Lords, according to reports.
The former Conservative MP is to be given the peerage in Rishi Sunak’s resignation honours list, the BBC reported.
First Minister John Swinney previously said Jack should be blocked from a seat in the Lords after he admitted winning money by betting on the timing of the General Election – a decision over which Sunak had control.
As the Gambling Commission probed other Tories who had bet on the timing of the vote, Jack released a statement insisting he did not “place any bets on the date of the General Election during May – the period under investigation by the Gambling Commission”.
Speaking to The National in June, First Minster Swinney said that “what’s happened with Alister Jack is completely unethical”.
“It’s completely and utterly unethical.
The SNP leader added: “So, I’ve thought for a long time Alister Jack was unfit to be a minister by his conduct.
“But he’s certainly unfit to go to the House of Lords – and there should be no question of going to the House of Lords after this.”
Jack did not comment on reports that he is set for a peerage, the BBC said.
He had been widely expected to be given a seat in the Lords by Sunak after leaving office in July 2024, but was instead given a knighthood.
A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: "We do not comment on speculation on honours as a matter of longstanding principle. Any updates would be announced in the normal way."
Jack, a multimillionaire, will be allowed to claim £361 plus travel expenses for every day he attends the Lords.
As Scottish secretary, he took the unprecedented decision to use Section 35 of the Scotland Act to block the gender reform bill, which had been passed at Holyrood with support from MSPs in all five parties.
