HUNDREDS of thousands of people have signed a petition to block Boris Johnson’s honours list after the former prime minister stood down as an MP.
He nominated close allies for knighthoods, damehoods and peerages including Jacob Rees-Mogg, former housing secretary Simon Clarke and MPs Conor Burns and Michael Fabricant.
Some who were expected to make the list missed out including Nadine Dorries and Scottish Secretary Alister Jack.
Both Dorries and Tory MP Nigel Adams resigned with “immediate effect”, meaning the Tories face three by-elections in constituencies they have traditionally held.
It comes as Cabinet Secretary Grant Shapps denied that neither the Prime Minister nor members of his Number 10 team removed names from Johnson’s list.
The petition to block Johnson’s honours list has been signed by almost 300,000 people including MSP Michelle Thomson.
She re-tweeted it with the caption: “I just signed the petition calling on Boris Johnson’s resignation honours to be blocked. Will you sign too?”
I just signed the petition calling on Boris Johnson's resignation honours to be blocked. Will you sign too? https://t.co/SchdsuErxA via @38degrees
— Michelle Thomson (@MichelleThomson) June 11, 2023
Carol Vorderman was also among those to sign and share the petition.
When asked if the reports that Sunak or his aides had removed names from the list, Shapps told Laura Kuenssberg: “No. The list that came to him was the list that went to the House of Lords Appointments Committee (Holac) that looks at these things.
“Just to be clear here, it went to that committee. The committee would have to say if the Prime Minister removed anyone.
“The Prime Minister has exactly followed the very long standing conventions of prime ministers who simply take the list and pass it on and receive it back.”
Pressed on whether anyone had removed names “months ago”, Shapps said: “My understanding is no. As far as I’m aware, that is not true.”
The petition to block Johnson’s honours can be signed HERE.
