Boris Johnson: Former prime minister nominates his father Stanley for knighthood, report says

Stanley Johnson is reported to be among 100 knighthood nominations made by his son and former prime minister, Boris Johnson, as part of his resignation honours list. The former PM who left office in September 2022 has nominated his father for the prestigious award, The Times newspaper said.

Stanley, who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) between 1979 to 1984, is said to be among 100 nominations made by his son which have been put forward for Cabinet Office vetting, according to the newspaper. A spokesperson for the former Conservative leader said: "We don’t comment on honours."

If Stanley were to receive an honour in any form, this would raise questions about the former PM’s use of the honours system to reward family members with titles. In 2020, Boris faced accusations of cronyism after he nominated his brother Jo Johnson, a former minister, for a peerage. He is now Lord Johnson of Marylebone.

In 2021, Stanley was accused of touching senior Tory MP Caroline Nokes and a journalist at Conservative party conferences. Ms Nokes accused the former MEP of forcefully smacking her on the backside and making a vulgar comment at the Conservative Party conference in 2003.

Following the accusations, the former MEP said that he had "no recollection" of either incident.