Boris Johnson rewards allies, and a hairdresser, with honors as critics cry foul
The Independent Several dozen allies of former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson received honors from King Charles III on Friday, a list that drew cries of cronyism from opponents of the ousted leader.
Resignation honors, bestowed by the monarch but chosen by the government, are an established but contentious way for departing leaders to reward loyal lieutenants.
Johnson gave lifetime seats in Parliaments unelected upper chamber, the House of Lords, to several former advisers, and bestowed knighthoods or damehoods on loyalist lawmakers including former Cabinet ministers Jacob Rees-Mogg and Priti Patel.
Other aides, lawmakers and Conservative Party figures received lesser honors. The list features several staffers implicated in the partygate scandal over rule-breaking gatherings in government buildings during the pandemic, including former Johnson aides Martin Reynolds and Shelley Williams-Walker.
Angela Rayner, deputy leader of the opposition Labour Party, said that Johnson had rewarded a carousel of cronies.
