The SNP calls for the removal of Boris Johnson’s retirement honors

The former PM’s father is one of around 100 names proposed for the award.

The SNP has called for the list, which is currently under Cabinet Office review, to be scrapped entirely.

Union leader Sir Keir Starmer said it would be “absolutely outrageous”.

However, Tory Cabinet Secretary Michelle Donelan tried to downplay the dispute, saying the report in the Times was “mere speculation”.

“Obviously it’s the ex-Prime Minister’s prerogative to be able to arrange these kinds of appointments, but we’ll see if that story is true or not,” she told LBC.

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The ousted Tory leader has form when it comes to handing out awards to his family members. His brother Jo, a former minister, was knighted in 2020.

In 2021, senior Tory MP Caroline Nokes and a journalist publicly accused Stanley, a former MEP, of touching her at Conservative Party conferences.

Ms Nokes, chair of the Commons Women and Equality Committee, said he slapped her on the bottom and made a vulgar remark.

He said he had “no recollection” of either incident.

Stanley Johnson declined to comment on his nomination.

A spokesman for Boris Johnson said: “We do not comment on honors.”

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The SNP’s Tommy Sheppard said the ex-Prime Minister was “poking fun at the honors system, just like he’s teasing British politics”.

He added: “The idea that he could nominate his own father for a knighthood and think he could get away with it sums up the man’s arrogance.

“His entire roll of honor should be struck off immediately.

“This corrupt, cousin-ridden Westminster system – including the Honors system – is utterly outdated and unfit for purpose.

“Only with the full power of independence can we rid ourselves of these charlatans forever and build a more just, prosperous society.”

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Sir Keir said: “The idea of ​​an ex-Prime Minister giving tributes to his father – for services to what?”

He told LBC radio: “The idea of ​​Boris Johnson nominating his father for a knighthood – you only have to say it to realize how ridiculous it is.

“It’s classic for a man like Johnson. I mean, I think the public is just going to think that’s absolutely outrageous.”