The prime minister plans to nominate at least two sitting MPs to the House of Lords well before the next election, sparking two contests that will test public support for whoever replaces him in Downing Street. It is understood he wants to hand over colleagues to Nigel Adams, a cabinet minister and one of his closest allies, and culture secretary Nadine Dorries, who has emerged as one of his most loyal cabinet colleagues. Both have large majorities, but the combination of a recent slump in the Tory polls and a disastrous recent election record could make the contests close. Currently, two peer lists are planned – one is a regular list, and the second is Johnson’s waiver value list. “You can’t announce peers and say they won’t play for two years [after the next general election],” said a source familiar with Johnson’s plans. “The nomination of MPs will mean that these seats will be freed up to be contested. It will be a very early test for the new leader.” Adams, who defended Johnson long before he became Tory leader, has already announced he will stand down at the next election. As a minister without portfolio in the Cabinet Office, he was at the center of efforts to save Johnson’s premiership as it collapsed earlier this month. He has held the seat of Selby and Ainsty three times, each time by an increased majority. He won the seat by more than 20,000 votes in the last election. Labor is the challenger and a by-election could see Keir Starmer’s party close the gap. Dorris holds the seat of Mid Bedfordshire, with a majority of 24,000 at the last election. It comes with persistent rumors that Johnson is planning a long list of peers, which is expected to include former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre. Johnson was determined to make Dacre chairman of broadcasting regulator Ofcom, but the appointment was opposed by an independent selection committee. Dacre subsequently withdrew from the proceedings. A number of new peerages are expected to be announced this summer, but will first be vetted by the House of Lords appointments committee. Johnson has drawn criticism for his peers in the past, having already nominated Lord Moore of Etchingham, his former editor at the Daily Telegraph, and Yevgeny Lebedev, the Russian-born businessman and son of a former KGB officer.
