Sadiq Khan says his former mayoral opponent should not have received a peerage after he broke lockdown rules
By Joe Talora, Local Democracy Reporter

Assembly member Shaun Bailey has been nominated to enter the House of Lords (Credit – GLA )

Former Conservative mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey’s nomination to the House of Lords is a “slap in the face” of those who followed lockdown rules, according to the mayor of London.

A report in The Times on Monday revealed that Sadiq Khan’s 2021 London mayoral election rival was one of around 20 people included in former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list.

Last year, the Conservative assembly member was forced to step down from his role as chair of the London Assembly’s police and crime committee after pictures emerged of him attending a packed Christmas party in 2020 when household mixing was banned under lockdown rules.

The assembly member, who also previously worked as an advisor to David Cameron, later stepped down from his role as chair of the London Assembly economy committee and did not appear at any Assembly meetings for several weeks as anger over “partygate” raged on.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service on Tuesday, the mayor of London said his former rival’s nomination for a peerage showed that “cronyism is alive and well in the Tory party”.

He said: “I think it’s a slap in the face for all those who followed the rules [during lockdown]. I think it’s a slap in the face for all those who died because of COVID. It’s a slap in the face for all those families who couldn’t grieve their loved ones because they followed the COVID rules, and all those families who couldn’t celebrate big birthdays and weddings because they followed the rules.”

The GLA Conservatives declined to comment on the matter.

Also included on the former Prime Minister’s resignation honours list are former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, MPs Alok Sharma, Alister Jack and Nigel Adams, as well as several former Downing Street aides.

Boris Johnson has reportedly asked the MPs included on his list to delay taking up their peerages to avoid triggering by-elections.

All names on the honours list will be subject to vetting by the House of Lords Appointments Commission.

To receive a weekly update from Barnet Post, sign-up to receive our email newsletter.

To support local journalism, become a Barnet Post member.

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else. £84 annual supporters get a print copy by post and a digital copy of each month's before anyone else.