Rishi Sunak rewards aides, allies with honours in resignation list

Former British prime minister Rishi Sunak has rewarded his former Cabinet colleagues, Downing Street aides and advisers in his resignation honours list released by the UK government on Friday.

While his former housing secretary Michael Gove and former transport secretary Mark Harper are among seven allies elevated with life peerages to the House of Lords, former ministers Andrew Mitchell and Theresa Villiers have been conferred with Knight and Dame Commander honours respectively.

Former England team cricketer James Anderson and filmmaker Matthew Vaughn are among those granted Knighthoods in the honours list.

Sunak, 44, was Britain's first Indian heritage prime minister until July 4 last year, when as the Conservative Party leader he lost the general election to Labour's Keir Starmer.

It is customary for an outgoing prime minister to request the British monarch to grant peerages, knighthoods, damehoods or other awards in the British honours system to his chosen political allies and aides.

These recommendations are reviewed by the UK Cabinet Office before release and the parallel peerages list is also vetted by the House of Lords Appointments Commission.

The King has been graciously pleased to signify His intention of conferring Peerages of the United Kingdom for Life upon the undermentioned, reads the honours notification.

Others receiving peerages include Simon Hart, former Chief Whip of the House of Commons; Sir Alister William Jack, former Secretary of State for Scotland; Stephen Massey, former Chief Executive Officer of the Conservative Party; Victoria Prentis, former Attorney General; and Eleanor Shawcross, former Head of the No 10 Downing Street Policy Unit.

Among the others receiving honours on Sunak's recommendation include Knighthoods for former home secretary James Cleverly, former chancellor Jeremy Hunt, former defence secretary Grant Shapps and former work and pensions secretary Mel Stride.

His private secretaries and advisers while at Downing Street are among those conferred a range of honours including Commanders of the British Empire (CBE) and Orders of the British Empire (OBE).

Sunak, having won his Richmond and Northallerton seat in last year's election, is now a backbench member of Parliament in the House of Commons.