The Prime Minister decided to ennoble City tycoon Peter Cruddas despite a recommendation from the House of Lords Appointments Commission that he should be turned down. Mr Cruddas, 67, donated £50,000 to Mr Johnson's Tory leadership campaign last year and has given £3million to the Conservatives since 2007. 'My fundamental concern is about the number of new peers that have been appointed by the Prime Minister in his first 12 months in office. Mr Cruddas resigned as party co-treasurer in 2012 after a newspaper suggested he was offering access to Mr Cameron for a donation of £250,000 a year. Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said: 'After months of revelations about the cronyism at the heart of this Government, it's somehow appropriate the Prime Minister has chosen to end the year with a peerage to Peter Cruddas.'

Source: Daily Mail December 22, 2020 23:59 UTC