Resignation honours have been denounced by some as an example of
cronyism. The
1976 resignation honours of
Harold Wilson—which became known as the "Lavender List"—had caused controversy as a number of recipients were wealthy businessmen whose principles were considered antithetic to those held by the
Labour Party at the time. Cameron's list was described by
The New Statesman as a "who's who of failed
Remainers". May's list was criticised with
SNP MP
Pete Wishart likening it to "handing out peerages like sweeties to the same
Tory advisers who got us into this
Brexit mess".
Liz Truss was confirmed to be eligible for a resignation honours list, despite only having been prime minister for seven weeks; this caused considerable controversy, with
Alastair Campbell saying that she and Johnson had "disgraced and debased an office they should never have held". On 25 March 2023,
The Sun and
i newspapers reported Truss had submitted a Resignation Honours list recommending four people for honours.
The list was published on 29 December 2023 at the same time as the
2024 New Year Honours, and was greeted with criticism for containing a list of her political supporters. Willie Russell of the
Electoral Reform Society said, "It looks like the political class dishing out rewards for failure at a time when many people are still suffering the effects from her turbulent premiership". ==References==