Most of public oppose Liz Truss handing out 'reward for failure' peerages

22 April 2023 , 18:44

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Truss will get to pick new peers (Image: Getty Images)

Most of the public oppose Liz Truss being allowed to hand out “reward for failure” peerages to mark the end of her disastrous time as Prime Minister, a new poll suggests.

Outgoing PMs are allowed to stuff friends and cronies into the House of Lords in their ‘resignation honours’ lists.

Just seven per cent of voters believe Ms Truss, who was only in office for 49 days, should be allowed to draw up a list, according to a survey by Opinion for the Electoral Reform Society (ERS).

Among those tipped to be on Ms Truss’ list are Brexit campaigner Matthew Elliott, Tory donor Jon Moynihan and long-term aide Ruth Porter, who currently works as a lobbyist.

And it’s claimed Mark Littlewood, the chief of the Institute of Economic Affairs who backed large sections of Ms Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng ’s disastrous mini-budget, will also be made a Lord.

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Ms Truss and Mr Johnson’s honours lists are both expected to be officially published within weeks.

Liz Truss was PM for just 49 days (Getty Images)

Boris Johnson will get to pick some peers too (Getty Images)

The ERS has polled support for the practice every year since 2019, when Theresa May was in office and found support for it rapidly dwindling.

Some 16 per cent were in favour of Mrs May creating new resignation peers on her departure.

Boris Johnson ’s first year in office saw that drop to 13 per cent, and then seven percent just after he announced his resignation.

Darren Hughes, Chief Executive of the Electoral Reform Society, said: “The majority of the public clearly oppose Liz Truss stuffing friends, supporters and donors into the already bloated Lords after a disastrous tenure that saw her last just 49 days in office."

He added: “These new honours look distinctly like the political class handing out rewards for failure. No matter how well, or badly, a prime minister performs, they are still allowed to hand out jobs-for-life in Parliament.

“We need to call time on this indefensible practice and replace the ever-ballooning Lords with a smaller elected second chamber where the people of this country, not ex-prime ministers, decide who shapes the laws we all live under.”

The new appointments expected from Mrs Truss and Mr Johnson will further expand the Lords and push it closer to reaching 850 members - despite a recommendation in 2018 by a Lord Speaker’s committee in 2017 to reduce the number to 600.

The Lords is the second largest legislative chamber in the world after only China’s National People’s Congress.

Mikey Smith