Michael Gove to receive peerage in Rishi Sunak’s resignation honours

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free

Michael Gove is among a handful of former Conservative cabinet ministers who will be awarded peerages in ex-prime minister Rishi Sunak’s resignation honours list on Friday, according to people familiar with the matter.

The former housing secretary will be ennobled, alongside ex-chief whip Simon Hart and former Scottish secretary Sir Alister Jack.

Stephen Massey, former Tory party chief executive, is another name on the seven-person list, the people said. They will receive peerages for “political and public service”.

Veteran frontbencher Gove held six cabinet portfolios under four prime ministers before stepping down from the House of Commons last summer. He remains highly influential in Conservative circles as editor of The Spectator magazine.

It is a long-standing tradition for outgoing prime ministers to be able to award peerages — and other gongs — to key political allies, donors and staff.

Sunak has already elevated his former chief of staff Liam Booth-Smith to the Lords in a separate dissolution honours list, which marked the end of the last parliament in July last year following the general election.

Kemi Badenoch, Sunak’s successor as Tory leader, has also made her first appointments to the upper chamber, giving peerages at the end of last year to ex-minister Rachel Maclean, who is now her strategy director, and former environment secretary Thérèse Coffey.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has meanwhile awarded peerages to his former chief of staff Sue Gray and a host of former Labour MPs who exited parliament at the last election.

The Labour administration is nonetheless determined to reduce the numbers in the House of Lords, which with more than 800 peers is the second largest legislative body in the world after China’s rubber-stamp National People’s Congress.

Legislation to abolish almost 90 hereditary peers, who are eligible to sit as legislators on account of their aristocratic birthright, is going through parliament.

Peers do not receive a salary, but may collect a daily allowance of £361 for attendance in parliament.

The Cabinet Office declined to comment on speculation about the honours process. Sunak did not immediately respond to a request for comment.