Boris Johnson has accused Rishi Sunak of “talking rubbish” after the prime minister claimed he asked him to overrule a panel vetting his nominations to the House of Lords.
The row over the former Tory leader’s resignation honours list escalated on Monday as Mr Sunak said his predecessor wanted him “to do something I wasn’t prepared to do”.
He said this was to “to either overrule the Holac [House of Lords Appointments] committee or make promises to people”.
Politics Live: Boris Johnson ‘asked me to do something I wasn’t prepared to do’
But Mr Johnson denied this was the case in a fiery new statement,
He said: “Rishi Sunak is talking rubbish. To honour these peerages it was not necessary to overrule Holac – but simply to ask them to renew their vetting, which was a mere formality.”
Mr Johnson was left furious after some of his political allies – Nadine Dorries, Alok Sharma and Nigel Adams – were not given the peerages he nominated them for.
The appointments were blocked by the House of Lords Appointments Commission (Holac), which confirmed it had taken eight people off Mr Johnson’s list.
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The former prime minister was said to be angry after Mr Sunak – who then reviews the list – refused to reinstate his nominations or consider nominating them later on, with Holac not wanting sitting MPs to be put in the Lords.
Speaking from London Tech Week, Mr Sunak said: “Look, when it comes to honours and Boris Johnson.
“Boris Johnson asked me to do something I wasn’t prepared to do because I didn’t think it was right.
“That was to either overrule the Holac committee or to make promises with people.
“I wasn’t prepared to do that – as I said, I didn’t think it was right.
“And if people don’t like that, then tough.”
Politics latest:
Boris Johnson ‘asked me to do something I wasn’t prepared to do’ – Rishi Sunak
His answer was met with a smattering of applause from the crowd.
Mr Sunak’s comments were the first public statement he has made on the matter since Mr Johnson resigned.
As well as Mr Johnson, Ms Dorries and Mr Adams have announced their intention to resign as MPs imminently.
The Johnson camp triggering three by-elections for a prime minister struggling in the polls has not been viewed kindly within Downing Street.
The government is insisting it followed the precedent of accepting Holac’s judgements when it comes to nominating people for peerages.
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One ally of Mr Johnson has accused Mr Sunak of “secretly” blocking the peerages for Ms Dorries, Mr Adams and Mr Sharma.
They claimed the current prime minister “refused to ask for them to undergo basic checks that could have taken only a few weeks or even days.
“That is how he kept them off the list – without telling Boris Johnson.”
Sky News has asked for evidence to show Downing Street blocked the appointments.
The prime minister’s spokesperson said it was “entirely untrue” that anyone from within Number 10 “attempted to remove or change or alter” the list of honours.
