14 resounding NOs to Boris Johnson’s 30-year-old former aide getting a mystery peerage
Despite leaving the office of UK Prime Minister under the cloud of having being fined for breaking crucial Covid laws, and later being judged by the Privileges Committee to have lied, Boris Johnson was granted a resignation honours list.
While he failed to get his father, Stanley, a knighthood, and Nadine Dorries a peerage, many – if not all – of the honours awarded were problematic.
They included a knighthood for Jacob Rees-Mogg and a damehood for Priti Patel, who was sacked for conducting unofficial talks in Israel without permission, then found by an inquiry to have bullied junior staff; a conclusion ignored by Boris Johnson.
Call me a radical lefty but feel like once you get to the stage of ‘Sir Jacob Rees Mogg’ and ‘Dame Priti Patel’, honours and peerages have become so toxically ludicrous they’ve essentially defeated themselves.
— Frances Ryan (@DrFrancesRyan) June 9, 2023
Perhaps more controversial were the peerages awarded to failed London Mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey, who threw a lockdown party, and now-30-year-old Charlotte Owen, who had a few relatively short-term, unimpressive backroom roles in Whitehall.
Lord Bailey of Partygate gets his peerage pic.twitter.com/jScjviF94G
— John Stevens (@johnestevens) July 18, 2023
2020: Boris Johnson criticises Brussels which he says is neither elected nor accountable
2023: Boris Johnson appoints Charlotte Owen as an unelected and unaccountable person pic.twitter.com/ZsVSxB5IqM
— Farrukh (@implausibleblog) July 24, 2023
The swearing-in ceremony of new life peers on Monday brought the mystery of her elevation to the fore.
Lines of speculation which we won’t repeat here were only secondary to the outrage at someone so young and unimpressive being given so much power – and a large income for life courtesy of the taxpayer – at the discretion of a disgraced former politician.
1.
Boris Johnson makes an utter mockery of our democracy once again.
Charlotte Owen will receive money for life, be able to affect the laws and rights of British people, and all because????
Well we won't know will we, as there are injunctions in place.
What a country we've become 🖤 https://t.co/1SR9WyONdd— Carol Vorderman (@carolvorders) July 24, 2023
2.
Baroness Owen & Lord Kempsell who have less than a decade work experience between them but who now have jobs for life making laws because Boris Johnson said so, have made the case for abolition of the House of Lords clearer than I could pic.twitter.com/Zz6nwUcKPg
— nazir afzal (@nazirafzal) July 24, 2023
3.
Charlotte Owen, 30, becomes the youngest life peer in British history. Who says the Tories have nothing to offer millennials? pic.twitter.com/Coemh6dPea
— James Heale (@JAHeale) July 24, 2023
4.
Put there for life by a man who is now banned from having a pass to the building where they work. Thank God we took back control from whatever it was we thought wasn't democratic enough. https://t.co/ywD9MD6aom
— Brendan May (@bmay) July 24, 2023
5.
The appointment of these two is worse than when they handed Clare Fox a peerage and that was the worst appointment ever made. https://t.co/hbwbJ6bclI
— Emma Kennedy (@EmmaKennedy) July 24, 2023
6.
life peerage at 30? tax free income forever? ladies, this is what peak performance looks like pic.twitter.com/SoePuHbBxH
— Ava-Santina (@AvaSantina) July 24, 2023
7.
Welcome Baroness Charlotte Owen!
Fragrant with a hint of squirrel essence.
Your huge achievements in government rightly rewarded.
You will bring to the House of Lords:
Wisdom
Insight
Fruit
Tongue
Test tubes
Mint
Moisture
Gum
Flotsam
Glands
Bravo Charlie!👏pic.twitter.com/CyiuBRoCoA— Sir Michael Take CBE (@MichaelTakeMP) July 25, 2023
8.
Remember how we were all meant to hate unelected bureaucrats? Not when it’s Made in Chelsea tweenies apparently. https://t.co/aro6hED87b
— Ayesha Hazarika (@ayeshahazarika) July 24, 2023
9.
We know almost nothing about her, her political views, or what she’s done to get there. But now she’s in the House of Lords, she can make laws for the rest of us for life. Thank heaven Boris Johnson took us out of the unaccountable EU! pic.twitter.com/tZAc2EICBV
— alan rusbridger (@arusbridger) July 25, 2023
10.
Unchecked Privilege Barbie® pic.twitter.com/y55ZCgS9n6
— Sarah Dempster (@Dempster2000) July 24, 2023
11.
I think the fact that Charlotte Owen has happily taken that life peerage despite knowing the whole country is aware it’s really dodgy says all you need to know about her character.
— Nick Pettigrew🇺🇦 (@Nick_Pettigrew) July 24, 2023
12.
‘I, Charlotte, Baroness Owen of In the Night Garden’. How is this even possible? The House of Lords is an abomination and I would abolish it on Day One. #VoteBinface pic.twitter.com/XBNaJNf943
— Count Binface (@CountBinface) July 24, 2023
13.
It is just so ridiculous that we have a system in which failed prime ministers hand out jobs for life to their chums on exit. It makes no sense on any level. We are drowning in these people now, entirely because the Conservative Party has been so stunningly useless. https://t.co/7k3zJeoexU
— Tom Peck (@tompeck) July 24, 2023
14.
that’s it, impostor syndrome is done pic.twitter.com/ZHeUlSOc0i
— Toby Earle 🇺🇦 (@TobyonTV) July 24, 2023
In conclusion …
Just stop the UK please, we’ve had enough and would like to leave. https://t.co/9jdms7TVGg
— YesCymru 🏴 (@YesCymru) July 24, 2023
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