The House of Lords Appointments Commission (Holac) has vetoed eight names that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had proposed for peerages in his resignation honours list. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak accused Johnson of asking him to go against Holac by overruling their decision. Johnson’s honours list includes seven individuals nominated for life peerages and 38 individuals nominated for knighthoods, MBEs, and OBEs. Among the nominees is Charlotte Owen, a former adviser to Johnson who, if appointed, would be the youngest-ever member of the House of Lords. However, Holac did not support eight of Johnson’s nominees. Sunak stated that he refused to overrule Holac as it went against his principles.
Truss, Johnson’s successor, is said to have nominated four people on her own honours list, which is yet to be published. Johnson’s honours list has been controversial, comparable to Harold Wilson’s Lavender List in 1976, which included individuals later convicted of fraud and tax evasion.