Jacob Rees-Mogg has been given a knighthood in former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's resignation honours list. The MP for North East Somerset was a loyal supporter of Johnson during his three years in office and has been included on the list alongside a number Conservative colleagues.
Others prominent figures receiving a knighthood or damehood include ex-Home Secretary Priti Patel, former Housing Secretary Simon Clarke and Tory MPs Conor Burns and Michael Fabricant. Absentees from the nominations including former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries - who had been widely tipped to be given a peerage - who has resigned as an MP today (June 9).
Rees-Mogg has been the MP for North East Somerset since the 2010 General Election. He held a number of roles during Johnson's leadership, including being House of Commons Leader between July 2019 and February 2022, SomersetLive reports.
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After Johnson's resignation in September last year, he became Business Secretary under Liz Truss. Following her short tenure in office, that role went to Grant Shapps.
Following the publication of the honours list, Number 10 attempted to distance current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak from it. The Prime Minister’s press secretary said: “As is convention, the Prime Minister forwarded the former Prime Minister’s peerage list to Holac (House of Lords Appointment Commission) unaltered.
“Holac then passed back their approved list. The Prime Minister then accepted Holac’s approved list and forwarded it unamended to the Sovereign for their approval.
“He had no involvement or input into the approved list. It is a point of fact that it is made public by the Commission if a Prime Minister overrules the Commission’s advice.”
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