Boris Johnson is preparing to offer Nadine Dorries a peerage in the Prime Minister’s Resignation Honours, according to The Times.
If Dorries were to accept a place in the House of Lords, she would have to stand down as an MP, triggering a by-election in her Mid-Bedfordshire constituency.
The Times reports Dorries has told colleagues she intends to stand down in October, but a source close to the Culture Secretary said they were “unaware that a list had been finalised” and declined to comment further.
Johnson’s rumoured Resignation Honours list has caused controversy, with several senior Tories calling for him to be blocked from appointing new peers.
An online petition calling for the Parliament and the Honours Committee to deny Johnson a Resignation Honours List currently has around 63,000 signatures.