Boris Johnson honours list; the relationships between the former PM, Nadine Dorries and Alok Sharma

Despite no longer in a position of power, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s influence in the Houses of Parliament are still being felt to this day; none more so than the news that Rishi Sunak is set to accept the former PM’s honours list penned before his resignation from the most powerful position in England. 

The controversy regarding the list pertains to the optics that this is an opportunity for Johnson to reward his political allies, friends, and associates. Critics argue that this undermines the integrity and purpose of the honours system, which is traditionally meant to recognize outstanding contributions to various fields such as charity, business, science, and the arts, and not - as some commentators have described - a list of those who who enabled his breaches of COVID-19 protocols throughout his premiership. 

Opposition parties, such as Labour and the Lib Dems, as well as some Conservatives, have called Sunak to delay or cancel the honours list, arguing that given the ongoing allegations against Johnson, it would be inappropriate to proceed with the list - however Sunak is said to be ready to accept the list.

Could this however be a case of Rishi clearing the deck of old Johnson stalwarts? With names such as Nadine Dorries and Alok Sharma set to receive peerages, that would trigger a series of by-elections as their status as MP’s for their respective constituencies would come to an end should they accept the peerages. That could also mean that Sunak could help pick his own candidates during those by-elections, but given how strong the Lib Dems performed in the last series of elections, it could be a very big gamble.

We’ve mentioned the two names that seem synonymous with the peerages names in Boris Johnson’s list; so what were the relationships like between Boris Johnson, Nadine Dorries and Alok Sharma during his time as Prime Minister?

What was Nadine Dorries' relationship with Boris Johnson like?

She has been viewed as Boris Johnson’s fiercest supporter - to the point that when Boris resigned from his position as Prime Minister, it looked almost like Nadine Dorries was losing her best friend from summer camp. But there is a reason why Dorries has been so close an ally to Johnson - it was the former PM that elevated Dorries position in the Houses of Parliament, bringing her to the top of the table during a cabinet reshuffle in September 2021 and making her Cabinet Secretary.

Dorries has previously revealed that when she discovered that Johnson was to pull out of the leadership race in 2022, it led her to tears. She went on to criticise Tory MPs who tried to oust Boris Johnson, accusing them of doing "the opposition's work" and suggesting that the growing calls for his resignation were part of a "coordinated campaign" by backbenchers

What was Alok Sharma’s relationship with Boris Johnson like?

Much like Nadine Dorries, Alok Sharma owes a debt of gratitude to Johnson after he was elevated to several cabinet positions under Johnson’s premiership. Sharma held several Cabinet positions under Boris Johnson's government. He served as the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from February 2020 to January 2021. Prior to that, he was the Secretary of State for International Development from July 2019 to February 2020.

One of his greatest achievements under Johnson though was his appointment as President for COP26; he was appointed to this position by Boris Johnson and was given the sole charge of organising and leading the summit, held in Glasgow in November 2021.