PM accused of ‘cronyism’ as Brexiteer Tory gets knighthood
THERESA MAY was yesterday accused of cronyism after Brexit-backing Conservative MP John Hayes was given a knighthood.
The honouring of the longserving former Minister raised eyebrows in Westminster as the Prime Minister is currently facing an uphill battle to get her Brexit deal through a House of Commons vote.
His knighthood also comes after he was named in a Sunday
Times report from last month that quoted an unnamed MP complaining about “whips offering bribes of knighthoods and peerages to get people to go around telling people to back the Prime Minister or we will get (Labour leader Jeremy) Corbyn (as Prime Minister)”.
Labour MP Jo Stevens, a supporter of the Best for Britain campaign for a second referendum, criticised the move.
She said: “This stinks of cronyism. It seems that in order to pass its unpopular Brexit deal, the Government is willing to hand out knighthoods left, right and centre.
“Instead of sneaking out rewards for loyalty on a Friday, the Government ought to come clean with the public and tell them that Brexit will leave us poorer and more isolated on the world stage. Then the public can decide whether they want to continue with this shambles, or stay and lead in Europe.”
Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Chris Matheson also voiced scepticism.
“It would be a spectacular act of desperation for Theresa May to be giving away knighthoods in a bid to win votes for her botched Brexit deal,” he said.
Tory whip Chris Pincher and Labour whip Mark Tami were also made members of the Privy Council as Mr Hayes received his knighthood.
Mr Hayes became Tory MP for South Holland and The Deepings in 1997 as his party was swept out of office by Tony Blair’s Labour.
But he remained in Parliament and was rewarded when David Cameron and the Tories took power in coalition with the Liberal Democrats in May 2010.
He was initially employed as a Minister straddling the Departments for Education and Business, Innovation and Skills.
In September 2012 he moved on the Department for Energy and Climate Change before becoming Minister Without Portfolio in the Cabinet Office in March 2013, ant latterly Transport Minister from July 2014 to May 2015.
He was then promoted to Security Minister before being sacked buy Mrs May in July 2016.