Four CON MPs to become peers – but no by-elections
Johnson has a wheeze to avoid them
The Times is reporting that four current Tory MPs are to be made peers in the Johnson resignation honours list.
They are Alister Jack, the ScotsSec, Nadine Dorries, ex-culture secretary, Nigel Adams, and the outgoing Cop26 president Alok Sharma.
But there will be no by-elections for the four have all agreed to defer taking their peerages until the end of this parliament. This is a procedure I have not heard of before and no doubt there will be a furious row and an effort to get them out. Expect an opposition move of some sort on this in the Commons.
There had been a lot of speculation about the Dorries seat, Mid Bedfordshire, and indeed the LDs had already started campaigning there.
On top of these 4 there are a further 16 peerages in the pipeline.