Liz Truss ‘trying to create a new peer for every 10 days in office’
Liz Truss has been accused of trying to reward failure following reports that she plans to create a peer for every 10 days she spent in office.
The former prime minister is reported to have nominated at least four new members of the House of Lords, despite having been in post for only 49 tumultuous days.
The names on her resignation honours list include a Tory donor and a former long-time aide, according to The Sun.
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said Ms Truss “and her Conservative co-conspirators took a wrecking ball to the economy” as she urged Rishi Sunak to block the list.
Liberal Democrat chief whip Wendy Chamberlain also called on Mr Sunak to act, saying: “Handing out more expensive gongs to Conservative allies is a truly remarkable way to reward the shortest tenure as prime minister in British political history.
“Those selected for honours are the very people who helped plunge the country into chaos and crisis.” She added: “Rishi Sunak must block these honours immediately as allowing Truss to dish out positions of influence shows a stunning lack of humility.”
A sitting prime minister can block a resignation honours list submitted by his or her predecessor, but it has never happened in practice.
Those reported to be on the list include Conservative donor Jon Moynihan; Mark Littlewood, a supporter of “Trussonomics” and director of the Institute for Economic Affairs; Ruth Porter, Ms Truss’s former deputy chief of staff; and pro-Brexit campaigner Matthew Elliott.
A spokesperson for Ms Truss declined to comment.
