Michael Gove set to receive peerage in Sunak's resignation honours

Michael Gove is expected to receive a peerage in Rishi Sunak's resignation honours.

The former Cabinet minister, 57, is reportedly one of several senior Tories predicted to be elevated to the House of Lords.

He stood down as an MP at the last election and is now editor of The Spectator.

It is thought there are seven names on Mr Sunak's resignation honours list alongside Mr Gove, including ex-chief whip Simon Hart and former Scottish secretary Sir Alistair Jack.

Former party chief executive Stephen Massey is also due to receive a peerage for 'political and public service', according to the Financial Times. The list is a tradition that allows outgoing prime ministers to award gongs to close allies and staff.

In his separate dissolution honours list last summer, Mr Sunak gave a peerage to his chief of staff in Downing Street Liam Booth-Smith, along with former PM Theresa May, 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady and climate tsar Sir Alok Sharma. Mr Sunak vowed to scrap the House of Lords in favour of an elected upper chamber in 2022 but later watered down his plans.

Labour has pledged to introduce a mandatory retirement age of 80 alongside the abolition of hereditary peers, of which there are currently 90 in the House of Lords.

In December Sir Keir Starmer appointed 30 new Labour peers, including his former chief of staff Sue Gray.

The Cabinet Office and the Conservatives declined to comment last night.