The reason former prime minister Boris Johnson made Charlotte Owen the youngest ever life peer was finally revealed last night.
The former aide to the Tory leader was given a place in the Lords as part of Johnson’s resignation honours list, becoming Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge and sitting as a Conservative peer at the age of 30.
Johnson’s press spokesperson Ross Kempsell, then 31, also secured a place in the Lords at the same time.
Their appointments triggered a major backlash at the time as critics questioned why the two deserved the right to help make the UK’s laws for the rest of their lives.
Journalist Martin Rosenbaum subsequently took the House of Lords appointments commission to a first-tier tribunal to reveal who had written letters of citation for the pair.
After an 18-month freedom of information campaign, it has been revealed that both were appointed for, among other things, helping Johnson during the pandemic.
According to Owen’s citations, she led on “many sensitive and key projects including advising the prime minister and the chief whip on suitability for ministerial appointments during the reshuffle”.
Much of the information on her appointment was redacted, but it was revealed that former Tory ministers Grant Shapps and Chris Heaton-Harris had nominated her.
But Rosenbaum described these explanations as “very thin”.
He said: “The reasons cited for nominating Owen to membership of the House of Lords do come across as very thin, inadequate and lacking in evidence of relevant achievements.
“They leave her peerage as a mystery rather than properly justifying and explaining it.”
The Lords appointments commission initially rejected Rosenbaum’s freedom of information request on Owen’s citations, saying it contains personal information.
However the tribunal sided with the transparency campaigner and found the information was in the public interest.
Rosenbaum added: “I am very pleased that the documentation has now been revealed, but it shouldn’t need an argument over 18 months for the public to find out what reasons are officially provided for allocation certain people important political powers.
“Members of the House of Lords debate and vote on laws that control the British public’s lives. As a basic principle the public is fully entitled to know what reasons are given for why they have been appointed to rule over us.”
