Peerage for shamed moat expenses MP

DAVID CAMERON was last night accused of “bringing Parliament into disrepute” by handing a life peerage to Douglas Hogg, the former Tory MP who quit the Commons in disgrace over an expenses claim for his moat.

The Prime Minister elevated Mr Hogg to the Lords despite having to withdraw a previous nomination on the advice of a watchdog. Mr Hogg, who as Viscount Hailsham was already a non-working peer, had also tried, unsuccessfully, to win a seat in the Lords on two previous occasions.

Mr Cameron used the dissolution honours list to create 45 new peers, 26 of them Tories, including Kate Rock, a Conservative Party official who hosted George Osborne at her ski chalet in Klosters, Anne McIntosh, the former Tory MP who was deselected by her own constituency party, and Andrew Lansley, the former health secretary. Ed Miliband’s choices for Labour peers included Tessa Jowell, Alistair Darling and David Blunkett, while Nick Clegg included Sir Menzies Campbell and former coalition minister Lynne Featherstone.

It brings the total number of peers to 831, making it the secondbiggest legislative chamber in the world after the Chinese National People’s Congress, and prompting fresh calls for major reform of the chamber.

But it was Mr Hogg’s appointment that prompted the most outrage. He was the MP who claimed £2,115 in expenses to have the moat cleaned out at his Lincolnshire manor house, which he later repaid. As a result of the scandal caused by The Daily Telegraph’s 2009 exposé, he did not seek re- election in 2010, but was desperate to be elevated to the Lords.

The Labour MP John Mann said: “Creating ‘Lord Moat’ is an absolute disgrace. It is rewarding one of the very worst offenders of the expenses scandal. This brings Parliament into disrepute.”

David Cameron put Mr Hogg’s name forward for a life barony to be included in the 2011 New Year Honours, but the House of Lords Appointments Commission advised against it, and his name was withdrawn. The reason for the commission’s decision was never disclosed, but its guidelines say nominees must have a strong commitment to the “highest standards of public life”.

DAVID CAMERON has been accused of handing out peerages and honours to dozens of “cronies” as it emerged that five of his Lords nominations failed the strict vetting process.

The Prime Minister yesterday unveiled 26 new Tory peers and gave honours to dozens of aides who helped the Tories win the general election.

Five of Mr Cameron’s nominations for peerages were among the seven rejected by the House of Lords Appointments Commissions. A number are understood to be Conservative donors who failed the strict vetting process.

Mr Cameron’s appointments to the Lords were part of a list of 45 new peers from the Tories, Labour and Liberal Democrats. Transparency International said when the new peerages were taken into account, members of the House of Lords collectively donated more than £18 million to political parties before they were ennobled.

Former Tory ministers given peerages included William Hague, the former foreign secretary, and Andrew Lansley, the former health secretary who received sharp criticism for his failed reforms of the NHS.

Mr Cameron’s decision to give peerages and honours to a series of aides was attacked by opponents.

Kate Fall, a Downing Street deputy chief of staff, was handed a peerage alongside James O’Shaughnessy, a former No 10 policy director and Philip- pa Stroud, an adviser to Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary. Kate Rock, a Conservative Party vice-chairman and close ally of George Osborne, the Chancellor, was made a member of the House of Lords. Ms Rock made headlines when she hosted Mr Osborne and his family at her family’s ski chalet in the Alps in 2011.

Anne McIntosh, who was deselected as a Tory candidate by her own local members, was given a peerage, as was James Lupton, a Conservative donor and vice-treasurer of the party. Mr Lupton is close to Camilla Batmanghelidjh, whose Kids Company charity collapsed last month amid allegations of financial malpractice. Mr Lupton gave £250,000 to the Conservatives just weeks before government ministers granted £3 million of taxpayers’ money to Kids Company in June.

Michelle Mone, the lingerie tycoon who is conducting a review into small businesses for the Tories, was also given a peerage. Sources predicted she would be given a ministerial role in Mr Cameron’s next reshuffle.

Meanwhile, a host of coalition special advisers have been awarded CBEs, OBEs and MBEs. Mr Cameron’s former deputy chief of staff Oliver Dowden – now an MP – has been awarded a CBE, as have his operations chief Liz Sugg and Mr Osborne’s ex-chief of staff Rupert Harrison.

Mr Osborne’s former media adviser Ramesh Chhabra and Denzil Davidson, Mr Hague’s former adviser, are among those receiving OBEs for “public serv- ice”. The Prime Minister’s former spokesman Jean-Christophe Gray, a career civil servant, was awarded a CBE, as was political secretary Laurence Mann.

Clare Foges, Mr Cameron’s former speech writer, was handed an OBE, along with Caroline Balcon, the Prime Minister’s constituency manager, and Ameetpal Gill, his No10 director of strategy. Lara Moreno-Perez, his diary secretary was awarded an MBE. Paul Schooling, the Downing Street gardener and Alison Depass and Marjorie Wallace, catering assistants were awarded the BEM for “public service”.

Mr Cameron has dismissed calls to revive efforts to slash the size of the House of Lords and make it mostly elected, which stalled in 2012 after a rebellion by Tory backbenchers. Down- ing Street last night insisted that the Prime Minister was still “committed” to reform of the Lords but said that it should be driven by peers.

The Electoral Reform Society said the influx of new peers – which takes the total active membership to well over 800 – would cost the taxpayer at least an extra £1.2 million a year.

Lucy Powell, the shadow cabinet office minister, said: “At the election the Tories said they would make the House of Lords smaller, but they have done the opposite, leaving taxpayers with a multimillion-pound bill for David Cameron’s new peers. Time and again the Tories have rewarded those who have given them millions of pounds. People will see this as the Tories putting their cronies before the country.”