The King has today announced political peerages in former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s resignation list.
The number of life peerages include former Levelling Up Minister, Michael Gove, who since resigned from Westminster and is now editor of The Spectator magazine, former cabinet ministers, Mark Harper, Simon Hart and Victoria Prentis. Stephen Massey and Eleanor Shawcross who led the policy unit for Mr Sunak at number 10, become peers.
The former Secretary of State for Scotland, Alister Jack is elevated to the House of Lords.
There is a life spperage announced for Amanda Spielman who is the former HM Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills.
A selection of sports people and politicians have also been awarded knighthoods, including former Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, James Anderson the cricketer, former foreign secretary James Cleverly, the former MP who was involved in Plebgate, Andrew Mitchell, Mel Stride, the shadow chancellor, Stephen Massey chief executive and donor to the Conservative Party.
Greens criticism
In light of the news that former Tory Ministers Michael Gove and Alister Jack are to be given peerages and jobs for life the Scottish Greens say this underlines why we urgently need to scrap the House of Lords.
The Party’s co-leader, Lorna Slater, said: “The House of Lords is an archaic and embarrassing relic of an institution. Its very existence is an affront to democracy.
“It has no legitimacy whatsoever and is already stuffed full of donors, cronies and former politicians.
“Michael Gove and Alister Jack both supported and implemented policies that did a huge amount of damage, from a Brexit that has cost jobs and hiked up prices to the hostile environment policies that punished refugees and a series of cuts that fell on people with the least.
“The problem is much bigger than any individual. It is the system that has allowed unelected peers to have so much influence for so long. It is ridiculous for us to be ruled by people that we have no way to remove.
“One of the many advantages of independence would be the chance to finally abolish the undemocratic House of Lords.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
