Full listing of 19 peerages sneaked out by Rishi Sunak forward of election exit ballot

Rishi Sunak last night handed a number of knighthoods, damehoods and peerages just an hour before polls closed in the General Election.

The PM handed a knighthood to Tory minister Alister Jack who admitted placing three bets on the election date, while failed Tory ex-minister Chris Grayling and former PM Theresa May were handed peerages in the dissolution honours list, in what could be Mr Sunak’s final act as Prime Minister. He also gave knighthoods to his deputy, Oliver Dowden, and a peerage to Graham Brady, the outgoing chair of the Tory 1922 Committee.

Craig Mackinlay, the former Tory MP for South Thanet who lost his hands and feet to sepsis, also was given a peerage. Mr Mackinlay appeared in the Commons for the first time since his illness on the day Mr Sunak called the election.

Liam Booth Smith, Mr Sunak’s No10 chief of staff, will be installed for life in the House of Lords. Former Deputy PM Therese Coffey, ex-chief whip Julian Smith and former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace were all given knighthoods and damehoods.

Labour ’s nominations for peerages include Dame Margaret Beckett and Harriet Harman, both former deputy leaders of the party. Labour MPs Margaret Hodge, Kevan Jones, Barbara Keely, John Spellar and Rosie Winterton will all become Lords.

Mr Jack is alleged to have told a reporter he’d won £2,100 betting on the date of the election in the wake of Mr Sunak’s surprise announcement. But he later claimed his comments were “a joke… I was pulling your leg”.

In a further statement last week, Mr Jack admitted to making three bets on the timing of the election. He said: “I want to be absolutely clear I have not breached any gambling rules. I placed two unsuccessful bets on the date of the general election and one successful one.

“I put two bets on in March of £5 each for an election to be held in May and June respectively. In April, I put £20 at 5 to 1 on an election being held between July and September. I had no knowledge of the date of the election until the day it was called.”

Full list of honours

Damehood of the Order of the British Empire

The Rt Hon Thérèse Coffey PC – Formerly Deputy Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. For political and public service.

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
The Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE PC – Deputy Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office. Formerly Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and Chairman of the Conservative Party. For political and public service.

The Rt Hon Julian Smith CBE PC – Formerly Government Chief Whip and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. For political and public service.

The Rt Hon Robert Ben Wallace PC – Formerly Secretary of State for Defence. For Political and public service.

Knighthood of the Order of the British Empire
The Rt Hon Alister Jack DL – Formerly Secretary of State for Scotland. For political and public service.
All individuals nominated for honours have gone through probity checks by the Cabinet Office.

Full list of 19 peerages

Nominations from the Leader of the Conservative Party

1. The Rt Hon Sir Graham Brady PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Altrincham and Sale West, and Chairman of the 1922 Committee.
2. The Rt Hon Chris Grayling PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Epsom and Ewell, and former Secretary of State for Transport, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice and Leader of the House of Commons.
3. The Rt Hon Dame Eleanor Laing DBE PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Epping Forest, lately Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons.
4. Craig Mackinley JP – Lately Member of Parliament for South Thanet.
5. The Rt Hon Theresa May PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Maidenhead, former Prime Minister and Home Secretary.
6. The Rt Hon Sir Alok Sharma KCMG PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Reading West and former Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Secretary of State for International Development and President for COP26.
7. Liam Booth-Smith – Lately No10 Downing Street Chief of Staff.

Nominations from the Leader of the Labour Party

1. The Rt Hon Dame Margaret Beckett GBE PC – Former Foreign Secretary and former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.
2. John Cryer – Lately Member of Parliament for Leyton and Wanstead.
3. The Rt Hon Harriet Harman KC PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham, and formerly Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.
4. The Rt Hon Dame Margaret Hodge DBE PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Barking and former Minister of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
5. The Rt Hon Kevan Jones PC – Lately Member of Parliament for North Durham and former Minister for Veterans at the Ministry of Defence.
6. Barbara Keeley – Lately Member of Parliament for Worsley and Eccles South and formerly Shadow Minister for Music and Tourism.
7. The Rt Hon John Spellar PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Warley and formerly Comptroller of the Household in the Whips’ Office.
8. The Rt Hon Dame Rosie Winterton DBE PC – Lately Member of Parliament for Doncaster Central and former Deputy Speakers in the House of Commons.

Nominations from the Liberal Democrat Party

1. Caroline Pidgeon MBE – Lately Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the London Assembly.

Nominations from the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)

1. Thomas Elliott MLA – Member of the Legislative Assembly for Fermanagh and South Tyrone and former leader of the Ulster Unionist Party.

Nominations for Crossbench Peerages

1. Minette Batters – Former President of the National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales.
2. Dr Hilary Cass OBE FRCN FRCGP – Former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

All individuals nominated for peerages have gone through vetting checks, and the Chair of the House of Lords Appointments Commission has confirmed to the Prime Minister that all individuals are supported by the Commission.