PMQs: Keir Starmer attacks Rishi Sunak over Boris Johnson honours list
- Published
Starmer: Tories arguing over Johnson list while people worry about cost of living
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has accused Rishi Sunak of being "too weak" to block Boris Johnson's honours list.
The former PM handed out awards to some of his closest aides from the Covid era in a list published last week.
"That means that those who threw a Downing Street party the night before the late Queen sat alone at her husband's funeral will now receive awards from the King," Sir Keir said.
Mr Sunak insisted he had acted "in line with established conventions".
And - in a jibe at Sir Keir's own title - he said: "I'd expect a knight like him to understand that."
The list of Mr Johnson's nominees included his former head of operations, Shelley Williams-Walker, who was reportedly the DJ at a Downing Street gathering on the eve of Prince Philip's funeral. She was made a dame.
'Tough talk'
Former director of communications Jack Doyle and press adviser Rosie Bate-Williams, who issued some of Mr Johnson's denials about Covid rule-breaking, were given CBEs.
Mr Johnson has accused Mr Sunak of blocking some of his other nominations, including a peerage for close ally Nadine Dorries, something firmly denied by Downing Street.
Mr Sunak said last week that he was not prepared to do what Mr Johnson wanted over peerages, adding: "If people don't like that, then tough."
At Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir - who was knighted in 2014 for his past role as director of public prosecutions - asked why "for all his tough talk" Mr Sunak had signed off on Mr Johnson's list.
He repeated his call for an immediate general election, accusing the Conservatives of getting their priorities wrong.
"All across the country, people are worried about their bills, the price of the weekly shop and the spiralling mortgage rates," said the Labour leader.
"So why has the Tory party spent this last week arguing over which of them gets a peerage?"
'Tory cronies'
Mr Sunak denied interfering in Mr Johnson's nominations for honours, in line with what he said was a "long-held convention" that had been followed by prime ministers of both main parties.
"My predecessors may not have agreed with Labour's choices of Tom Watson or Shami Chakrabarti, but the same precedent stood then as it does now. And I'd expect a knight like him to understand that," said the prime minister.
Sir Keir responded: "Honours should be for public service not Tory cronies."
Rishi Sunak insists he did not interfere in the honours process
He accused the PM of ensuring "those who spent their time helping cover up Johnson's lawbreaking are rewarded by becoming lawmakers for the rest of their lives".
Mr Sunak asked why the Labour leader had put former MP Tom Watson, "who spread vicious conspiracy theories that were totally and utterly untrue", forward for a seat in the Lords.
He was referring to the now Lord Watson's previous support for fantasist Carl Beech, who wrongly accused several high-profile politicians and military officers of murder and child sex abuse in 2014.
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle intervened to warn Mr Sunak about his comments.
"Can I just say to the prime minister, you shouldn't criticise other members," he told the PM.
"Also, you're not responsible for the other parties. You are the prime minister that is answering the questions - not asking the questions."
Lord Watson used his maiden speech in the Lords in December last year to apologise for his role in promoting false sex abuse claims.