Keir Starmer Says He Will Not Have A Resignation Honours List If He Becomes PM
Keir Starmer has said he will not have a resignation honours list if he becomes prime minister.
The Labour leader said he would follow the example set by Tony Blair, who chose not to dish out gongs when he quit Downing Street in 2007.
His comments came as the controversy over Boris Johnson’s resignation list – which saw him hand out honours to close allies like Jacob Rees-Mogg and Priti Patel – continues.
Video footage also emerged yesterday of two of those on Johnson’s list taking part in a lockdown-busting party at Tory HQ.
Asked on Radio Four’s Today programme this morning if he would have a resignation honours list if he becomes PM, Starmer said: “No.”
He added: “There are other opportunities. Tony Blair didn’t have a resignation list, it’s very hard to justify.
“If it was reserved for people who have given incredible service, perhaps picking out people who’ve been involved in development of the vaccine or some other real element of public service, but it’s very hard to see how it’s justified.
“There are other avenues for that and I think it’s easier to be clean about this and simply say ‘no I wouldn’t do it’. Tony Blair didn’t do it and I wouldn’t do it.”
Starmer also said that he would be prepared to block Rishi Sunak’s resignation honours list if Labour wins the next election.
He said Sunak should have blocked Johnson’s list until after he knew the findings of the privileges committee inquiry into whether the former PM lied to parliament over partygate.
The damning report, which came out last week, found him guilty and recommended that he be stripped of his former MP’s parliamentary pass.
The Commons is set to vote to back the committee’s findings later today.