Boris Johnson is thought to be considering a peerage for his most loyal cabinet minister Nadine Dorries as part of his resignation honours list.
The prime minister is reportedly planning to put his culture secretary into the House of Lords as part of a tradition allowing him to recommend certain appointments before leaving No 10.
According to the Sunday Times, Ms Dorries is “expected” to go to the upper chamber and depart frontline politics for novel writing after Mr Johnson’s downfall.
Paul Dacre, the former editor of the Daily Mail, and billionaire Tory donor Michael Hintze are also said to be in line to be ennobled in the next couple of months.
The newspaper reported that a No 10 official contacted a veteran Tory to ask whether it was possible to give Stanley Johnson a knighthood on the basis he was “once an MEP”, but the senior party figure advised against it.
Allegra Stratton – who quit as Mr Johnson’s spokeswoman after she was captured joking about at Christmas gathering at the start of the Partygate scandal – is said to be “tipped” for a peerage as part of the PM’s resignation list.
The former BBC and ITV journalist briefly acted as the prime minister’s spokesperson for the Cop26 climate conference in Glasgow.
Further details of Mr Johnson desperate final hours clinging onto power on Wednesday evening. Preparing to meet a delegation cabinet ministers advising him to go, Ms Dorries is said to have told the PM: “You send them packing.”
Mr Johnson shared his fears Rishi Sunak had been engaged in a plot lasting months to remove him in cahoots with old ally turned bitter enemy Dominic Cummings, according to the Sunday Times.
But an ally of Mr Cummings said claims that he was collaborating with the ex-chancellor were “b******s”
The culture secretary – who considered her own bid to keep the flame of Mr Johnson’s premiership alive – is said to have claimed that the contest would now be a “bloodbath” and the revolt had unleashed the “hounds of hell”.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, treasurer of the 1922 Committee, criticised Ms Dorries’ comments about the leadership race. “I think it’s not helpful ... We do want to unite the Conservative Party behind a candidate.”
Meanwhile, Tory leadership campaign teams are reportedly drawing up dossiers full of compromising allegations against rival candidates and their aides.
At least two rival campaign teams are claimed to have handed Labour digital dossiers packed with allegations against potential opponents, according to the Sunday Times – with even candidates’ staffers supposedly targeted.
Labour MP Chris Bryant tweeted: “The stories circulating about the various leadership candidates are so lurid they’re difficult to credit, but even more bizarre is the fact Tory MPs are circulating them.”
The Independent has contacted No 10 for comment on plans for the resignation honours list.
