Boris Johnson Honors Allies and Hairdressers Amid Critics Slam | Wagon Radio 720

LONDON (AP) – Dozens of former prime minister Boris Johnson’s allies were honored by Britain’s King Charles III on Friday, with cries of crony coming from opponents of the ousted prime minister. rice field.

“Honours of resignation”, awarded by the monarch and chosen by the government, are an established but controversial way for outgoing leaders to reward loyal lieutenants.

Johnson gave lifetime seats in the House of Lords, the parliament’s unelected upper house, to several former advisers, and knighted and peerages to pro-members, including former ministers Jacob Rees-Mogg and Pretty Patel. Awarded.

Other aides, MPs and Conservative Party officials received less honors. The list includes several officials implicated in the “partygate” scandal over unruly gatherings at government buildings during the pandemic, including former Johnson aides Martin Reynolds and Sherry Williams-Walker. is

Opposition Labor deputy leader Angela Reiner said Mr Johnson had rewarded “a merry-go-round of cronies”.

“Instead of tackling the cost of living crisis, Conservatives are spending their time rewarding people who tried to cover up rule violations or flattered a disgraced ex-Prime Minister,” she said.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office said, as is customary, the current leader did not interfere with the honor list of his predecessor.

Among the unkempt-haired Johnson’s political allies was one who made the list. Kelly Dodge, a longtime manager of parliamentary hair salons, was made a member of the Order of the British Empire.

Missing from the list is former Culture Secretary Nadine Dries. He was an avid Johnson supporter and was widely known to be on the Roses team. Although she wasn’t on the list, she announced that she will resign from her legislature with immediate effect on Friday. A special election will be held to fill her seat in the House of Representatives.

The patronage issue was particularly sensitive in Mr Johnson’s case, who resigned in September 2022 after a scandal over money, ethics and judgment turned against Conservative MPs.

Johnson’s predecessors, Conservative Prime Ministers Theresa May and David Cameron, also gave honors as they left office in 2019 and 2016, respectively. But their predecessors, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, have not adopted the procedure.

Mr Johnson’s career has been a roller coaster of scandals and comebacks, leading the Conservatives to a landslide victory in 2019, only to be forced out by his own party less than three years later.

While he is still in Congress, he is following the results of an investigation by the House Standards Committee over misleading statements he made in Congress about numerous rallies at government buildings that violated pandemic lockdown rules in 2020 and 2021. I’m waiting.

Police ultimately imposed 126 fines, including one against Mr Johnson for late night soirees, drunken parties and “Friday winetime”, and the scandal marked the end of Mr Johnson’s premiership. It was a factor in speeding it up.

The commission plans to release its report in the coming weeks. If it concludes that Mr Johnson deliberately lied, he could be suspended by the House of Representatives. A 10-day suspension would allow voters to petition for a special election to replace Johnson in Congress.