Knighthoods for MPs who caused Boris Johnson headaches

Two MPs who caused occupation for ex-PM Boris Johnson person received knighthoods successful the New Year Honours list.

Labour's Chris Bryant and Conservative Julian Lewis, who seat the standards and quality committees respectively, person some been honoured.

Sir Tom Scholar, the apical Treasury civilian servant sacked by erstwhile PM Liz Truss, becomes a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath.

Ex-minister and COP26 president Alok Sharma besides receives a knighthood.

Sir Alok led the UK's efforts to unafraid a woody astatine past year's clime league successful Glasgow.

Another erstwhile Conservative minister, Andrew Stephenson, is made a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire).

And determination is an OBE for erstwhile athletics curate Helen Grant, the Conservative MP for Maidstone and the Weald.

Sir Chris said helium was "very shocked" by his knighthood.

"I person nary thought however this comes about," helium added.

The MP has represented the Rhondda constituency successful Wales since 2001.

As seat of the Committee connected Standards, helium led the cross-party radical of MPs who recommended suspending Conservative Owen Paterson from the House of Commons for 30 days aft the MP was recovered to person breached lobbying rules.

The government's botched effort to assistance Mr Paterson debar the punishment is wide seen arsenic the archetypal successful a drawstring of scandals that yet led to Mr Johnson's resignation.

At the clip Sir Chris was fiercely captious of the government, describing attempts to alteration the rules governing MPs' behaviour arsenic "the precise explanation of injustice".

He besides attacked the authorities implicit Covid rule-breaking successful Downing Street, saying No 10 had go "a cesspit, afloat of arrogant, entitled narcissists".

Sir Chris told PA News helium was "surprised" to beryllium receiving a knighthood and said it was an honour for the full of the Committee connected Standards.

"Everybody told maine that the Standards Committee would beryllium a quiescent backwater," helium said.

"It hasn't felt similar that. I try, arsenic does the full committee, to acceptable enactment allegiance to 1 side.

"Obviously the Owen Paterson infinitesimal threw a monolithic boulder successful the mediate of an icy pond but I anticipation the caller codification of behaviour we agreed conscionable earlier Christmas volition acceptable Parliament backmost connected the consecutive and narrow."

He added that helium hoped the honour would assistance item his work connected acquired encephalon injury.

Sir Julian has represented New Forest East successful Hampshire since 1997 and during his clip successful Parliament has served arsenic a shadiness curate and seat of the defence committee.

He was kicked retired of the Conservative parliamentary enactment successful July 2020 aft successfully standing against different Tory MP, Chris Grayling, to pb the Intelligence and Security Committee.

Mr Grayling was believed to beryllium Mr Johnson's preferred campaigner but the different MPs, acrophobic the committee's independency could beryllium undermined, voted for Sir Julian instead.

Sir Julian was re-admitted into the enactment six months later.

As committee chair, helium published a long-anticipated study into Russian enactment successful the UK, which accused the authorities of "badly" underestimating the Russian threat.

The honour for Sir Tom Scholar comes conscionable 3 months aft helium was fired arsenic the top-ranking Treasury civilian servant by Liz Truss.

During her enactment run Ms Truss had been captious of the Treasury, saying it was not sufficiently focused connected boosting growth.

Sir Tom's sacking was seen arsenic impervious of Ms Truss's determination to alteration what she called the "Treasury orthodoxy".

Elsewhere, the elder civilian servant astatine the Home Office, Matthew Rycroft, receives a knighthood and Lord Sedwill, the erstwhile furniture secretary, is made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George.

Damehoods person been awarded to the UK's ambassadors successful Ukraine, Melinda Simmons, and Russia, Deborah Bronnert.