Rishi Sunak did not ‘intervene’ in Johnson’s honours list, cabinet minister Grant Shapps insists

Cabinet minister Grant Shapps has insisted Rishi Sunak did not intervene in Boris Johnson’s honours list as he claimed the world had “moved on” following his dramatic exit.

Mr Shapps, the energy secretary, said there were now “different challenges to face” and that Downing Street was “under new management”.

“We’ve got new management in Number 10, getting on with the job and getting on with the priorities of this country,” he told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme.

Mr Shapps spoke following Mr Johnson’s shock decision to resign as the MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip on Friday, triggering a by-election in his constituency – a key target for Labour.

The former prime minister announced his decision after receiving the privileges committee report into whether he lied to MPs over partygate – something he branded a “kangaroo court” and “witch hunt”.

It came just hours after his resignation honours list had been published, with the names key allies Nadine Dorries, Sir Alok Sharma and Nigel Adams absent.

Labour accuses PM of losing control – politics latest

In a move that will create a headache for Mr Sunak, Ms Dorries, the former culture secretary, and Mr Adams, a former minister, both announced they would stand down from their seats, creating a hattrick of by-elections at a time when the polls are faring badly for the Tories.

Over the weekend there were reports in the Sunday Times that Mr Johnson believed Mr Sunak had broken a promise to wave through the entire list of honours – a charge Downing Street has denied.

But Mr Shapps insisted Mr Sunak made no changes to the list “at all”.

Asked whether he thought Mr Johnson wasn’t fully across the process, he said the former prime minister “occasionally… wouldn’t be all over the details”.

“Rishi Sunak has not changed, altered, the list in any way,” he said.

“In fact, there is a House of Commons appointments commission – or Holac as it is called – which looks at all nominations.

“There is a very long-tested protocol in place where former prime ministers put people up for the House of Lords…and the prime minister who comes in usually passes it on.

“In this particular case, because Number 10 has actually published the details, you can see that Rishi did not change that list at all.

“The House of Commons commission will have made all of those decisions and the prime minister has not intervened in any way.”

In an excoriating statement announcing his resignation, the former prime minister said a letter from the privileges committee made clear “that they are determined to use the proceedings against me to drive me out of parliament”.

Mr Shapps has said he did not agree with Mr Johnson’s assessment that the committee’s partygate probe was a “witch hunt” and an attempt to reverse Brexit.

“I think far from wanting to undo (Brexit), I think we’re in a phase now of using the many benefits of having that extra flexibility,” he said.

“What I do believe is that it is very important to elect committees, let them get on with their work,” he added.

The message from Number 10? Boris Johnson is yesterday’s man

Rob Powell

Political correspondent

@robpowellnews

It was delivered in a characteristically affable manner, but Grant Shapps’ analysis of the ongoing relevance of Boris Johnson was quietly cutting and risks inflaming the tension in the Tory Party.

“The world has moved on… [Boris Johnson] is the one who removed himself from the current political scene… he was the right man for his time”, said the energy secretary.

Asked whether he’d welcome a return to parliament from the former PM, he was less than effusive – and even ran the rule over the government he was once part of, saying Mr Johnson was “occasionally” not across the detail.

Mr Shapps also said the party was “under new management” – a line that’s been previously used by Sir Keir Starmer to sever his leadership from that of Jeremy Corbyn’s.

In the current tense political climate, an intervention like that from a cabinet minister sent out by Downing Street on the Sunday morning media round should not be underplayed.

The broader message from Number 10 appears to be that Boris Johnson is yesterday’s man and Tory politics has moved on.

In the short term, there is clearly a risk of antagonising Johnson allies further and causing more instability.

But in the longer term, this speaks to a broader hope in government that this bumpy period could lead to Mr Johnson finally exiting centre stage along with the psychodrama that frequently follows him around.

Mr Johnson’s decision to quit has reopened questions of a fresh civil war in the Conservative Party, with a number of his allies criticising the privileges committee.

Former Tory Party chair Sir Jake Berry suggested Mr Johnson had been “forced out” by the “establishment” and “the blob”.

“You voted for Brexit – the establishment blocked it,” he tweeted. “You voted for Boris Johnson – the establishment has forced him out.

“Who is in charge here… The voters or the blob?”

The resignations of Ms Dorries and Mr Adams prompted fears of a rebellion among Mr Johnson’s allies, with his supporters claiming that two more MPs are on “resignation watch”.

However, claims by Mr Johnson’s camp that up to six more MPs were poised to quit have failed to materialise so far.

Mr Johnson’s former communications director Guto Harri – who was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the honours list – said he did not believe there was an “elaborate plot to sort of destabilise and topple Rishi Sunak”.

He said the former prime minister is seizing an opportunity to remove himself from politics and “lick his wounds, but also seize new opportunities”.

Asked whether he thought Mr Johnson would stage a political comeback, he added: “We can never write him off.”