Prime Minister gives Hammond and Clarke the nod for Lords
Boris Johnson has nominated two of his most vocal critics – who he punished by removing the whip last year – for peerages.
Former chancellors Ken Clarke and Philip Hammond were both sacked by the Prime Minister for blocking his plan to press on with a no deal Brexit in October.
Although some of the other so-called ‘Gawkward Squad’ were reinstated in time for the election, neither Hammond nor Clarke were and both men stood down as MPs.
They remained critical of the Johnson’s policies from the sidelines, particularly on Brexit, with both men preferring a less disruptive approach.
But the pair are on Downing Street’s list for peerages, the BBC’s political editor Laura Kuenssberg reports.
Separately, former MEP and longstanding Brexit campaigner Daniel Hannan has also been tipped to take up the ermine, City A.M. understands.
Hannan, one of the architects of Vote Leave, was among the audience at Johnson’s buccaneering speech in Greenwich this week.
Other names on the list include former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, who stood down last autumn to spend more time with her family. She had also called for a softer Brexit.
Two former Labour MPs – Iain Austin and John Woodcock – who quit over a rift with party leader Jeremy Corbyn have also been nominated to sit as non-aligned peers.
The pair told voters they should back Johnson over Corbyn during December’s General Election.
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