Priti Patel and Jacob Rees-Mogg named in Boris Johnson's resignation honours list

Former home secretary Priti Patel and former Brexit minister Jacob Rees-Mogg have both been handed top honours after Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list was released.

It was announced on Friday that Johnson’s former cabinet ministers would be handed a damehood and a knighthood respectively.

Former London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey and Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen have also been handed peerages.

Benjamin Gascoigne, a former deputy chief of staff to the ex-prime minister will enter the House of Lords alongside Ross Kempsell, a former political director of the Conservative Party.

Charlotte Owen, a former adviser to Johnson, will become one of the youngest peers, while Kulveer Singh Ranger, a former director of transport while Boris Johnson was London mayor, will also be elevated to the Lords.

Former No 10 chief of staff Dan Rosenfield will also enter the upper chamber.

Those put forward for a knighthood include former housing secretary Simon Clarke and MPs Conor Burns and Michael Fabricant.

Former co-chairman of the Conservative Party Ben Elliot and William Lewis, a political adviser to Johnson, are also in line to become knights bachelors.

Joining Patel with nominations for a damehood are former ministers Andrea Jenkyns and Amanda Milling.

The former head of operations at No 10, Shelley Williams-Walker, will also receive a damehood, along with Johnson’s former personal assistant, Ann Sindall.

However former culture secretary Nadine Dorries and Sir Alok Sharma, president of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, were absent from the list, following reports the Government cut them at the 11th hour to swerve potentially damaging by-elections in their seats.

Dorries had earlier announced she was standing down as an MP “with immediate effect” on Friday, triggering an early election battle in her Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

But Downing Street sought to distance Rishi Sunak from the list.

“He had no involvement or input into the approved list,” the Prime Minister’s press secretary said.

Lord Newby, leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords, called Johnson’s resignation honours list a “clear failure of leadership” from the Prime Minister.

“Boris Johnson caused crisis after crisis in this country. His lack of honour means he didn’t deserve an honours list in the first place.

“Yet Sunak has caved in, rewarding Johnson for his reckless behaviour as prime minister. The British public will be outraged at this out of touch decision.

“Rishi Sunak needs to come before Parliament immediately to justify his cowardly failure to block Boris Johnson’s Honours list.”