Dominic Johnson was appointed as Trade Minister and can now keep his peerage for life, despite being fired after only 26 days in office.
A Tory donor who was Jacob Rees-business Mogg’s partner has been given a Lords seat for life despite only serving in the government for 26 days.
Dominic Johnson, 48, can earn £332 per day until he dies or relinquishes his peerage, despite being fired as a minister on Friday.
Labour had already chastised Liz Truss for appointing the “crony party donor” as Trade Minister on October 2.
Because he was not a member of Parliament, he needed to be granted a life peerage by the King in order to become a minister.
In the new Prime Minister’s reshuffle, Rishi Sunak was removed as Trade Minister.
However, it is too late to remove his peerage, and Lord Johnson, who has donated more than £250,000 to the Conservatives since 2014, is still listed as a Conservative life peer.
“This is yet another example of Conservative cronyism costing the taxpayer and harming our country’s reputation,” said Shadow Trade Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds.
“The government is failing to deliver on the trade deals it promised, costing Britain vital growth and job opportunities.”
“Yet, rather than finding the best person for the job, they chose one of Jacob Rees Mogg’s friends – who it turns out was ennobled for life in order to be a Minister for a month.”
“Another case of the crony revolving door.” This is what happens when a government prioritises the party over the country.”
In 2007, Lord Johnson co-founded Somerset Capital Management with former Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg.
He was also the Conservative Party’s vice-chairman from 2016 to 2019, and he has donated more than £250,000 to the party since 2014.
On Monday, an update to the Government’s website confirmed his dismissal, stating that he had left office on October 28.
He had only been a peer for nine days at that point because his Lords seat did not take effect until October 19.
Simon Murray, who became a peer on October 19 in order to serve as a minister, has been retained at the Home Office by the new Prime Minister but demoted from minister of state to parliamentary under-secretary.
The Mirror contacted Lord Johnson to inquire whether he intended to resign his peerage voluntarily.
