Freedom of Information campaigners have described the reasons for Boris Johnson's award of the title as “inappropriate” and “mysterious” after an 18-month battle.
Charlotte Owen, a former special assistant in the Conservative government, has been appointed to the House of Lords on Prime Minister Boris Johnson's 2023 Resignation Honors List.
Both her appointment and that of another former special assistant, Ross Kempsell, came under criticism from the former prime minister's political opponents and transparency campaigners, who called for the reasons behind the appointments to be revealed.
Journalist and freedom of information campaigner Martin Rosenbaum has taken the House of Lords' Appointments Committee to the First-tier Tribunal to find out who wrote the letters of recommendation for two Conservative colleagues.
The commission initially denied Mr. Rosenbaum's request for information because it contained sensitive personal information, but the court upheld the journalist's argument that it was in the public interest to release the information.
The quotes from Lord Kempsell and Lady Owen detail their careers at the heart of Johnson's government, including during the pandemic.
One of her citations said Ms Owen led “a number of sensitive and important projects, including advising the prime minister and chief of staff on the suitability of ministerial appointments during a cabinet reshuffle”.
Much of the information remains redacted, but it has emerged that former Conservative ministers Grant Shapps and Chris Heaton-Harris are potential candidates for Mr Owen.
After Thursday's court ruling, Rosenbaum said: “The reasons given for nominating Owen to the House of Lords appear to be very thin, insufficient and lacking evidence of relevant achievements. Instead of justifying and explaining it, we leave it as a mystery.
“While we are very pleased that the document has been made public, it has taken more than 18 months of discussion for the public to know what reasons are officially provided for assigning significant political power to certain people. should not be necessary.
“Members of the House of Lords debate and vote on the laws that govern the lives of the British people. As a fundamental principle, the people have a full right to know why they have been appointed to govern us. .”
Owen and Kempsell have been contacted for comment.
Some of Mr Johnson's closest allies, including Priti Patel and Jacob Rees-Mogg, also received titles and other honors in the June 2023 honors list, published hours before Mr Johnson resigned as an MP. Award-winning.
