PM SUBMITS LIST OF TORY DONORS BORIS’
Bojo’s fans not what they seem
CAMPAIGNERS’ claims that thousands of Tory members are demanding Boris Johnson be put on the ballot for the leadership contest are not all they seem, we’ve learned.
Fans of the ousted PM threatened to overshadow proceedings by parking a specially painted “picket” bus outside hustings venues around the country where Rishi
Sunak and Liz Truss are going head-to-head, calling for Mr Johnson to be allowed to join the race.
It is claimed as many as 4,000 party members had signed a petition demanding he be allowed to bid for the leadership.
The sign-up process requires die-hard Boris backers to provide their party membership number in order to “verify” their membership. But it’s understood there is no system in place to check them, meaning anyone can enter any number and add their names to the list.
We were able to submit the name Doris Ronson to the petition, using a random nine-digit number and the address 10 Downing Street.
Meanwhile, Mr Sunak sought to burnish his Thatcherite credentials yesterday with a speech in Maggie’s home town of Grantham. Ms Truss has drawn the most comparisons with Mrs Thatcher, something she admitted was “frustrating”.
EXCLUSIVE
Whitehall Correspondent A TOP Tory who has been embroiled in cash-for-access scandals is being considered for a peerage as part of a Boris Johnson cronypacked House of Lords wish list, the Sunday Mirror understands.
Conservative chairman Ben Elliot – whose firm has been accused of selling access to Prince Charles and boasting of links to “Russian elites” – is believed to be being lined up for a gong along with several big-ticket donors in the outgoing PM’s Resignation Honours list.
Many are thought to be on Mr Johnson’s so-called “Advisory Board”, a group of donors said to be granted access to ministers in return for giving more than £250,000 to the Tory party.
Bahamas-based John Gore, who has funded the party to the tune of £4.2m, and Carphone Warehouse founder David Ross, who last year arranged a £15,000 getaway to the Caribbean isle of Mustique for the PM and his thenfiancée Carrie Symonds, are both believed to be up for gongs.
Former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre and Boris’ loyal Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries are also understood to be on the list.
All outgoing Prime Ministers can ask the Queen to bestow peerages or lesser honours on any number of people.
But Mr Johnson’s wish list could clog up the House of Lords with his cronies, making it difficult for any future Labour laws to be passed – a parting shot before he leaves No10 for good.
GUTTER
Last night Labour’s party chair Anneliese Dodds said: “Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list reads like a catalogue of Conservative cronies.
“From a Tory Party Chair who freelanced on foreign policy, to a billionaire based in the Bahamas, to the man at the heart of the scandal over the PM’s freebie holiday in Mustique.
“Right to the last, this Prime Minister seems intent on dragging British politics through the gutter. The sooner he’s out the door the better.”
In March, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called on the Tories to sack Mr Elliot for “being at the heart” of links between the party and Russian money.
Following outrage after the invasion of Ukraine, Mr Elliot’s concierge firm, Quintessentially, closed its Russian office and Russian language site and said the firm was “in effect out of Russia”.
In August the firm was accused of introducing Prince Charles to clients who spent £15,000 on a top-tier membership to the service.
At the time its spokesperson said
the meetings were entirely about helping to raise money for charity.
A source said Mr Elliot – the Duchess of Cornwall’s nephew – is being considered for a peerage, which will be vetted by the House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC). But another
source said if the committee rejects his peerage, the millionaire is set for a knighthood, as that will “only have to get through the Cabinet Office.”
Mr Johnson is expected to put as many as 39 Tory backers forward for the House of Lords. There are already
253 Tory peers – 87 more than Labour and four more than Labour and the Lib Dems combined.
Such a large Tory bloc would mean any Labour bills would have to rely on the votes of crossbench peers.
Mr Johnson has already created 43
Tory peers since he entered No10, compared to 26 by Theresa May. Since the Tories came to power in 2010, the Lords has swelled from 736 to 762.
Billionaire party backers have been jostling for position as Downing Street and the Conservative Party prepare
two lists of knighthoods and peerages, expected to be announced in weeks.
The Sunday Mirror has been told a further seven donors are up for peerages, with one or more names already passed to HOLAC for vetting.
Another Tory supporter said to be under discussion is Russian-born banker Lubov Chernukhin – although her spokesperson said she has not been approached about an honour.
Mrs Chernukhin, whose husband Vladimir served as deputy finance minister in Russia before he came to the UK, has paid to spend time with Prime Ministers at Tory fundraising auctions, including a night out with Mrs May and a tennis match with Mr Johnson.
She has given almost £2million to the party and is the biggest female political donor in UK history.
There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing, a Mrs Chernukhin, holds a UK passport and is entitled to donate to political parties.