Thirty-six new peers include Boris Johnson's brother, a former Tory treasurer and a union firebrand
Boris Johnson's brother, a former treasurer of the Conservative party and a Labour-backing union firebrand are among dozens of new peers entering the House of Lords.
Jo Johnson, Michael Spencer and Tony Woodley are among 36 new peers in the Dissolution honours and political peerages lists.
Just one third of the new peers are women. Mr Johnson, a Remainer, quit as an MP last year after citing an “unresolvable tension” between loyalty to his brother the Prime Minister, and the national interest, while Mr Woodley, former general secretary of the Unite union, made the list despite saying in 2018 that he was "not seeking nomination to the House of Lords".
Mr Spencer's elevation to the Lords came after he was initially blocked from receiving a peerage in 2016 over a £60million fine for his broker ICAP's involvement in the Libor rate-rigging scandal. Mr Spencer was never personally implicated in any wrongdoing.
Two journalists who worked with Mr Johnson - ex-Evening Standard editor Veronica Wadley and former Daily Telegraph editor and Margaret Thatcher's biographer Charles Moore - are made members of the Lords.
Mr Moore will sit as a non-affiliated peer while Ms Wadley will take the Tory whip.
Evegeny Lebedev, owner of the Independent and Evening Standard newspapers and Sir Ed Lister, the PM's chief of staff, are also made peers. Other new peers include ex England cricketer Sir Ian Botham, former Brexit Party MEP Claire Fox, and City financier Dame Helena Morrissey.
The list includes 10 former Tory MPs: Mr Johnson, Sir Henry Bellingham, Ken Clarke, Philip Hammond, Nick Herbert, Mark Lancaster, Sir Patrick McLoughlin, Ed Vaizey, James Wharton and Lorraine Fullbrook.
The Dissolution list also includes a knighthood for Philip May, Theresa May's husband which means that Mrs May may now need to be addressed as Lady May. Aamer Sarfraz, the Conservative Party Treasurer, is also made a peer.
Five Brexit-backing ex-Labour MPs were put forward by Mr Johnson for non-affiliated peerages: Ian Austin, Gisela Stuart, Kate Hoey, Frank Field and John Woodcock. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer put forward two nominations: former Labour MP Katy Clark and union official Brinley Davies. Ruth Davidson, the former Scottish Conservative leader, is also made a peer.
Former Democratic Unionist Party leader Sir Nigel Dodds, who helped support Theresa May's minority government from 2017 to 2019, is also made a peer.
The separate Political list also included Andrew Sharpe, the chairman of the grassroots National Conservative Convention, Dame Louise Casey, the PM's rough sleeper adviser, and Dame Minouche Shafik, a former deputy governor of the Bank of England.
Three peers were created after being put forward byformer Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn - Mr Woodley, former Labour MP Sue Hayman and academic Prem Sikka.
Mr Corbyn's recommendations of peerages for former Labour MP Tom Watson, ex-Commons Speaker John Bercow and former Labour official Karie Murphy were blocked earlier this year. However there was no room for former Tory MEP Dan Hannan and City financier Peter Cruddas after their names were blocked by the House of Lords watchdog.
One source said their exclusion by the House of Lords Appointments Commission was a "completely spurious" way to give the PM "a bloody nose".
Mr Johnson - who is said to be furious about the snub - is understood to have made clear that he will now push for a second list of peers, with the excluded names on it along with other financial backers, in the early Autumn.
Darren Hughes, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society, said the 36 new peers could cost the taxpayer £1.1 million a year if they all submitted regular claims for allowances.
He said: "By appointing a host of ex-MPs, party loyalists and his own brother, the PM is inviting total derision. That he can get away with it shows what a private member's club this House is."
He added: "This move is an absolute insult to voters. This is making a mockery of democracy. Today marks a nail in the coffin for the idea that the Lords is some kind of independent chamber of experts."
Lord Fowler, the Lord Speaker, branded the latest list of nominations for the upper house a "lost opportunity" as it again boosts numbers in the chamber.
The Tory former cabinet member insisted his concerns were not a "matter of personalities", but that at a size of nearly 830, the Lords would have nearly 200 more members than the 650-seat House of Commons.
Dissolution and Political peerages list
Political Peerages
Nominated by Boris Johnson, Conservative leader
Lorraine Fullbrook, former Tory MP for South Ribble
Sir Ed Lister, Chief Strategic Adviser to the Prime Minister
Daniel Moylan, former member of Kensington and Chelsea Council
Andrew Sharpe, chairman of the National Conservative Convention
Michael Spencer, founder of City trader Icap
Veronica Wadley, former editor of the Evening Standard newspaper
James Wharton, former Tory MP for Stockton South
Dame Helena Morrissey, City financier and campaigner
Neil Mendoza, Provost of Oriel College
Nominated by Jeremy Corbyn, former Labour leader
Sue Hayman, former Labour MP for Workington
Prem Sikka, professor of accounting at Sheffield University
Tony Woodley, former Joint-General Secretary of Unite
Nominations for non-affiliated Peerages
Claire Fox, founder of the Institute of Ideas and former Brexit Party MEP
Charles Moore, former editor of The Daily Telegraph and biographer of Margaret Thatcher
Nominations for Crossbench Peerages
Sir Ian Botham, former England cricketer
Dame Louise Casey, Government adviser
Evgeny Lebedev, owner of The Independent and The Evening Standard newspapers
Dame Minouche Shafik, former deputy Governor of the Bank of England
Dissolution Peerages
Nominated by Boris Johnson, Conservative leader
Sir Henry Bellingham, former Tory MP for North West Norfolk and former minister
Ken Clarke, former Conservative MP Rushcliffe and former Cabinet minister
Ruth Davidson MSP, former leader of the Scottish Conservatives
Philip Hammond, former Tory MP for Runnymede and Weybridge and former Cabinet minister
Nick Herbert, former Conservative MP for Arundel and South Downs and former minister
Jo Johnson, former Tory MP for Orpington and former minister
Mark Lancaster, former Tory MP for North East Milton Keynes and former minister
Sir Patrick McLoughlin, former Conservative MP for Derbyshire Dales and former Cabinet minister
Aamer Sarfraz, Conservative Party Treasurer
Ed Vaizey, former Tory MP for Wantage and former minister
Nominated by Sir Keir Starmer, Labour leader
Katy Clark, former Labour MP North Ayrshire and Arran
Brinley Davies, director of Union Pension Services Ltd
Nominated by Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster
Nigel Dodds, former DUP MP for North Belfast and Deputy DUP leader
Nominations for non-affiliated Peerages
Frank Field, former Labour MP for Birkenhead
Kate Hoey, former Labour MP for Vauxhall
Ian Austin, former Labour MP for Dudley North and ex-minister
Gisela Stuart, former Labour MP for Birmingham Edgbaston
John Woodcock, former Labour MP for Barrow and Furness
Knighthoods
Philip May, for political service
Raymond Puddifoot, for services to the London Borough of Hillingdon
