What's happened
Conservative MPs nominated for peerages may trigger by-elections if they accept them
Why it matters
The potential by-elections could be significant for the Conservative Party, which suffered heavy losses in the recent local elections. The loss of even one seat could undermine Rishi Sunak's authority and put his premiership at risk.
What the papers say
The Independent, The Guardian, BBC News, The Telegraph
How we got here
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has nominated several Conservative MPs for peerages in his resignation honours list, including Alister Jack, Nadine Dorries, Nigel Adams and Alok Sharma. The House of Lords Appointments Commission has advised that MPs will have to stand down if they wish to take up a peerage, which could trigger by-elections. Jack has confirmed he will stand down at the next general election but will not accept a peerage while still sitting as an MP. Dorries, Adams and Sharma are reportedly prepared to accept peerages, leading to three by-elections which the Tories could lose.
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Alister William Jack is a Scottish politician currently serving as Secretary of State for Scotland since 2019. A member of the Scottish Conservative Party, he has been the Member of Parliament for Dumfries and Galloway since 2017.
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Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson Hon FRIBA is a British politician, writer, and former journalist serving as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party since 2019.
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Rishi Sunak is a British politician serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer since February 2020. He was appointed Chancellor by the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, following the resignation of Sajid Javid during a Cabinet reshuffle in 2020.
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Alok Sharma is a British politician serving as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy since 2020. A member of the Conservative Party, he previously served as International Development Secretary from 2019 to 2020.
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The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers and domestically usually referred to simply as the Lords, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is granted by appointment or by heredity or official function. Like the H