Boris Johnson resignation – latest: Ex-PM asked Sunak to ‘do something I wasn’t prepared to do’

Rishi Sunak said Boris Johnson asked him to “do something I wasn’t prepared to do”, when asked about whether anyone in No 10 had intervened in the former prime minister’s resignation honours list.

Taking questions at the London Tech week conference, Mr Sunak said: “Boris Johnson asked me to do something that I wasn’t prepared to do, because I didn’t think it was right.”

“That was to either overrule the Holac (House of Lords Appointments Commission) committee or to make promises to people.

“Now, I wasn’t prepared to do that. I didn’t think it was right and if people don’t like that, then tough.”

An ally of Boris Johnson has accused Rishi Sunak of having “secretly blocked” the peerages of former culture secretary Nadine Dorries and others.

Responding to the Prime Minister accusing his predecessor of asking him to do something he “didn’t think was right” over the resignation honours list, the ally said: “Rishi secretly blocked the peerages for Nadine and others.

“He refused to ask for them to undergo basic checks that could have taken only a few weeks or even days.

“That is how he kept them off the list – without telling Boris Johnson.”

“Boris Johnson asked me to do something that I wasn’t prepared to do, because I didn’t think it was right”, Rishi Sunak said when asked about whether anyone in No 10 had intervened in the former prime minister’s resignation honours list.

The prime minister made the comments as he addressed the opening day of the London Tech Week conference.

“That was to either overrule the Holac (House of Lords Appointments Commission) committee or to make promises to people”, Mr Sunak added.

“Now, I wasn’t prepared to do that. I didn’t think it was right and if people don’t like that, then tough.”

In his first public remarks since his predecessor quit as an MP over the Commons partygate inquiry, the prime minister claimed Mr Johnson asked him to either overrule the committee which vets peerages – known as Holac – or “make promises to people”.

“I was not prepared to do that,” Mr Sunak said defiantly. “If people don’t like that, then tough.”

His comments come amid a row with Mr Johnson and his allies, who blame Downing Street for Conservative MPs failing to appear on his resignation honours list despite them being nominated for the House of Lords.

Holac has confirmed it did not support eight peerage nominees put forward by Mr Johnson. It is understood Mr Sunak would not promise peerages to MPs in the future in order to avoid potentially damaging by-elections for the government.

My colleague Archie Mitchell reports:

“When I got this job I said I was going to do things differently because I wanted to change politics and that’s what I’m doing”, Rishi Sunak added when asked about whether anyone in No 10 had intervened in the former prime minister’s resignation honours list.

“And I’m also keen to make sure that we change how our country works and that’s what I’m here talking about today: making sure that we can grow our economy, that we can maintain our leadership in the innovative industries of the future.”

Former culture secretary Nadine Dorries, ex-minister Nigel Adams and Cop26 president Sir Alok Sharma were reportedly put forward by Mr Johnson for peerages.

Ms Dorries and Mr Adams have resigned as MPs since being omitted, giving Mr Sunak the headache of three separate by-elections, with Mr Johnson also quitting over complaints about a Commons partygate inquiry.

Somewhat charmingly, the Cabinet Office has a website in which it invites people to “nominate someone amazing for a national honour”. The honours system, the site tells us, “Celebrates the people who go above and beyond to change the world around them for the better”. These are people, the Cabinet Office claims, who have “gained the respect of their peers” and “displayed moral and physical courage”.

You do not have to be immensely cynical to find it hard to reconcile the stated purpose of the honours system with how it works in reality. Take, for example, the honours list of Boris Johnson, who resigned on Friday in a manner that can described as considerably less than “honourable”, let alone “amazing”. Like the former PM himself, whose departure along with two of his allies has already triggered three by-elections and created an enormous headache for his party, it is difficult when looking at his list to find the “respect”, “morality”, and certainly “courage”.

The honours system is as broken as just about every other system in this country, and has been for more than a century, writes Guy Walters:

Keir Starmer has told Rishi Sunak to “find a backbone” and call a snap general election – after three quick-fire MP resignations left the prime minister facing by-election battles on multiple fronts.

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey also echoed Labour’s call – with both opposition parties hoping to capitalise on Tory woes and capture seats at the by-elections.

Mr Adams and Ms Dorries had been tipped for peerages in Mr Johnson’s resignation honours but neither featured in the published list.

Meanwhile Mr Johnson announced his exit on Friday by launching a scathing attack on a Commons Privileges Committee investigation into his conduct during the pandemic.

Jon Stone has the full story:

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, the cabinet minister suggested the UK should be “grateful” to Mr Johnson.

“All of us will want to be grateful for what he did during the Covid pandemic, when he initiated the vaccine task force… and was responsible for the fastest vaccine rollout in Europe,” Mr Gove said.

“We should be grateful for that, grateful also for the staunch support that he gave to Ukraine.”

Michael Gove said “I do think there is a loss when someone like Boris (Johnson) departs the stage” but “none of us are indispensable”.

The Cabinet minister told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “There are big figures in politics who depart the scene. And then there is a new generation that takes things forward.”

He said that while Mr Johnson brought “colour and panache” to British politics, Rishi Sunak is a better prime minister.

“Rishi is bringing a professionalism and focus to government.

“Today the prime minister is outlining proposals to ensure that we get more investment in the technology sector, one of the fastest-growing parts of our economy, and the focus that he’s bringing to that, the intellect that he brings to bear, the hard work, the sheer dedication to public service mark Rishi out as a great prime minister.”

Michael Gove offered his support to the Privileges Committee in the face of attacks from Boris Johnson loyalists.

“It is not my job or role to censor or police anyone’s views in a matter of public debate,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“But I can speak for myself and I can say two things.

“The first is this is a properly constituted committee in the House of Commons. The people who served on that committee were asked by the House of Commons collectively to do a particular job.

“It’s a job that has required careful work on their part and no little effort to make a series of significant judgments.

“So I have respect for the work that they have done. And I think that we need to respect again the integrity of the process, and wait until the report is published before then debating its conclusions and the consequences.

“The second thing that I want to say is that I do deprecate the fact that they are now in a position where, as reported, they have to seek or have been granted additional security.

“As someone who’s been through that position myself in the past then I extend my sympathy to them and their families at this point.”