PM looks to her future as she honours backbench
Accusations of cronyism as half of influential 1922 Committee receive a knight or damehood
THERESA MAY has moved to shore up her future as Tory leader by giving top honours to half of the ruling board of the Conservative party’s influential 1922 Committee.
Three of the committee’s six-strong board have received senior honours: Graham Brady, the chairman, and Geoffrey Clifton-brown, the honorary treasurer, are knighted; while Cheryl Gillan, a vice-chairman, is made a dame.
The support of the 1922 Committee is vital for Mrs May to deliver on her promise to serve a full five-year term as party leader.
Sir Graham is listened to closely by the leadership and would play a crucial role in any future leadership contest, which would be triggered if 15 per cent of the party’s MPS – 48 at present – write to him requesting one.
All three backed Leave in the European Union referendum, as did a fourth Conservative MP to be honoured, Christopher Chope, the veteran former minister, who receives a knighthood.
The honours would appear at odds with claims from Mrs May after she became the Prime Minister that she would bring an end to handing out honours to cronies.
Mrs May signalled she wanted to make a stand after David Cameron agreed to honours being handed out to 46 former aides, donors and senior Remain campaigners as his last act as Prime Minister when he quit the leadership last year.
The New Year Honours are the first to be handed out since Mrs May’s disastrous election campaign in June when she lost her party’s majority in the Commons.
One Labour MP said the awarding of the honours “show a weakness” in Mrs May’s position in the party.
The MP said: “We could end up with a record number of gongs handed out. We could see even more handed out than under David Cameron.
“She wants to go for the moral high ground and now she is back in the traditional gutter of politics.”
Nigel Farage, the former Ukip leader, said: “It’s services to the establishment in a sense. I don’t think it’s a reward for Brexit, but a reward for work to the party. The Government’s priority is keeping the party together.”
Tommy Sheppard, the SNP Cabinet Office spokesman, said public honours should recognise the “remarkable efforts and achievements” of people in communities which advance society.
He said: “They should not be doledout political favours. Sadly, successive Westminster governments have risked demeaning the system by making obvious political appointments.”
Westminster watchers pointed out that there were no honours for Tory donors nor aides who quit her office after the election. But Tory MPS were less critical. One pointed out Dame Cheryl’s length of service – she is the longest-serving female Conservative MP after first entering the Houses of Parliament in 1992.
Others pointed out that, shortly after becoming Prime Minister last year, Mrs May wrongly described Mr Brady as “Sir Graham” in her first meeting with the 1922 Committee.
In the Queen’s New Year Honours, other knighthoods went to Mark Hendrick, the Labour MP, Lindsay Hoyle MP, the deputy speaker, and Nick Clegg, former Liberal Democrat party leader. Edward Timpson, the former Tory MP, and Jo Swinson, the Liberal Democrat deputy leader, both received CBES in the list.
There is a knighthood also for Prof John Curtice, the polling expert who is honoured for services to social sciences and politics.
A Number 10 spokesman said: “These honours are a recognition of years of dedicated public service, tireless commitment to their parliamentary duties and outstanding work on behalf of their constituents and the country at large.”
Sir Geoffrey said he believed it was “completely coincidental” when asked if Brexit had influenced any honours.