Downing Street “cronies” who powered Theresa May’s disastrous snap general election and Brexit failures have been rewarded with knighthoods and other awards in her resignation honours list.
The former prime minister was accused of honouring “big Tory donors and Number 10 cronies” by Labour Party chair Ian Lavery after the list of people she had nominated for awards was revealed on Tuesday.
“The Tories only care about looking after their own and will only stand up for the wealthy few who fund them,” he said.
Former Number 10 aides Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill were among those made CBEs by May.
The former joint chiefs of staff were accused of losing the Conservative Party’s majority in the Commons by leading a disastrous campaign during the 2017 general election, which included the party’s highly-criticised “dementia tax” manifesto pledge. They both resigned in the wake of the snap poll.
But a source close to May defended the list, saying it recognised “the many different people who have made a significant contribution to public life” during the former PM’s time as a politician.
“It includes not only political colleagues but members of the civil service, civic society, the NHS and the sporting world. It also recognises people from all four nations of the United Kingdom.”
Honours For May’s Advisors
Timothy and Hill were not the only advisors to the PM who were awarded in the honours list. May also nominated her chief Brexit negotiator Olly Robbins, who many Tory MPs blamed for her much-derided Brexit deal, for a knighthood.
Meanwhile May put forward Gavin Barwell – her final chief of staff and former Tory MP for Croydon Central – for a lifetime peerage in the House of Lords. Robbie Gibb, the PM’s director of communications, was also handed a knighthood.
Awards On The Tory Benches
Among the Conservative benches, David Lidington – May’s de facto deputy – was handed a knighthood, while Derbyshire Dales MP Sir Patrick McLoughlin was made a Companion of Honour and former Tory Party chairman Brandon Lewis was made a CBE.
Other Tory MPs who made the honours list included Northern Ireland secretary Julian Smith, former trade minister George Hollingbery and Seema Kennedy, who was May’s parliamentary private secretary when she was PM.
Honours Outside Politics
Away from Westminster, former England cricket captains Geoffrey Boycott and Andrew Strauss were knighted for services to sport, while Kim Darroch – who was forced to resign as ambassador to the US earlier this year after a fallout with the Trump administration – was made a crossbench peer in the House of Lords.
Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick was also made a dame.
Jeremy Corbyn’s Nominations
Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn was also given the chance to nominate three new life peers, choosing ex-National Union of Teachers general secretary Christine Blower to join the Labour benches in the Lords.
Newport City Council leader Debbie Wilcox and the employment rights lawyer John Hendy QC were also handed peerages.