A half-baked reform attempt would not only distract from his policies aimed at voters’ priorities, but actually make them harder to even pass.
“He talks about people in the House of Lords – perhaps he could explain why he put forward for a peerage… Tom Watson, who spread vicious conspiracy theories”.
if there are going to be political peers at all, there needs to be some connection to democratic politics. Allowing the parties to nominate peers is that link.
“It was not just people like me who were honoured but people who aren’t household names but who were there serving the office of Prime Minister.”
“The Prime Minister has not intervened in any way,” adds the Energy Secretary. “The House of Commons Commission made all the decisions.”
Peerages for Ben Houchen, Kulveer Ranger and Shaun Bailey. Knighthoods for Jacob Rees-Mogg and Simon Clarke. Priti Patel becomes a Dame.
The Order of St Patrick also has no business being dormant so long as Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom.
Only prime ministers who have served a full term – be that four years or one parliament – should be entitled to make such nominations.
I called publicly for the collective award of the GC to the NHS fully 15 months ago – within a month of the nation going into its first lockdown.
The awards are understandably concentrated on the fight against Covid-19, but Oliver Lewis and Earl Howe are also recognised.
This is a less politically significant list than the recent one, but it recognises an important Parliamentary figure in the campaign for Brexit.
My open letter to the Prime Minister proposes the award to recognise the astonishing efforts of those working for our healthcare system.
With concern over the sea border still preventing the return of devolved government, some symbolic recognition of Ulster’s place in the UK could hardly go amiss.