Government whips use the honours system to manage tricky MPs
Knighthoods, plum jobs and the prospect of peerages could be useful inducements ahead of the Brexit vote
HONOURS ARE not always honoured. John Hayes, a Eurosceptic Conservative MP, discovered as much when he was awarded a knighthood on November 23rd. Rather than congratulate him, some fellow Tories subjected him to ridicule, suggesting that the title was an inducement to back the government’s unpopular Brexit deal. One fellow Brexiteer, feeling betrayed, had some advice for Sir John regarding his coat of arms: “Could I cheekily suggest a crest with an utter cock rampant on one side and a big chicken on the other.”
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Knights become pawns”
Britain December 1st 2018
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