London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Knighthood for Boris Johnson's father not wise, says minister

Knighthood for Boris Johnson's father not wise, says minister

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson would not be "wise" to nominate his own father for a knighthood, a government minister has said.
Speaking on BBC Question Time, Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said prime ministers should "absolutely not" hand honours to family members.

It follows reports Mr Johnson planned to name his father, former MEP Stanley, in his resignation honours.

Labour called on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to block any such nomination.

The BBC understands Mr Johnson's list will also now feature only around 50 names, lower than the figure of 100 previously reported by a number of newspapers.

Under the UK system, outgoing prime ministers can ask the monarch to bestow peerages, knighthoods, and other honours on any number of people of their choosing.

Reports this week suggested Mr Johnson, who stood down in September after a series of scandals triggered mass resignations from his government, planned to include his father on his list.

Stanley Johnson served as a Conservative member of the European Parliament for the Wight and Hampshire East constituency from 1979 to 1984. He also worked at the World Bank and European Commission as well as writing a number of books on environmental issues.

Asked about the reports, Mr Jenrick - who served for two years in Mr Johnson's cabinet as housing secretary - said: "Is it, as a principle, wise for a prime minister to nominate a member of their own family for an honour? No, absolutely not."

He added that "we'll have to see what ultimately is on this list and what the government chooses to do".

There have been calls for Mr Sunak to block Stanley Johnson from being given a knighthood if his name is put forward.

Also speaking on Question Time, shadow Home Office minister Sarah Jones said Mr Sunak "needs to make it crystal clear" that Mr Johnson could not nominate his own father for an honour.

Reports this week have suggested that Mr Johnson was told by officials to cut the number of people on his list after initially proposing almost 100.

One ally of Mr Johnson's told the BBC his list was "shorter than David Cameron's or Theresa May's so everyone can relax".

Mr Cameron nominated 59 people for honours when he resigned, while Ms May nominated 51.

A spokesman for Mr Johnson refused to comment on whether or not he planned to put his father forward for a knighthood.

A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: "We do not comment on speculation around honours".
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×