Truss’ 49 days at Downing Street made her the shortest-serving prime minister in British political history, having dropped from No. 10 after her September mini-budget measures helped send the value of the pound tumbling.
But that, according to various reports, has not stopped him from pitching former advisers and patrons for a seat in the House of Lords as part of the honors a prime minister can recommend upon resignation.
Labor and the Liberal Democrats have called on his successor, Rishi Sunak, to block the nominations.
Deputy Labor leader Angela Rayner called it a “list of shame” after she said Ms Truss “and her Conservative cronies” had brought a “wrecking ball into the economy”.
According to The Sun and the i newspapers, former Vote Leave chief executive Matthew Elliott, Conservative Party donor Jon Moynihan, long-term adviser Ruth Porter and think tank chief Mark Littlewood have all been recommended for titles. peerages by the former Tory leader.
Littlewood is director of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), a think tank that supports free markets.
The group backed the disastrous mini-budget put forward by Ms Truss and her chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, with Mr Littlewood, according to The Guardian, calling it a “booster budget”.
Following his resignation, Mr Littlewood said: “I am very sorry that the Prime Minister’s efforts to move the UK in a pro-growth, low tax and business direction have failed.
“He had a difficult hand to play, but he also played it badly.”
He also served as the main press spokesman for the Lib Dems and was reportedly at Oxford University with Ms Truss.
Ms Porter currently works for a lobbying firm, but helped spearhead Ms Truss’ successful Tory leadership bid in the summer before briefly serving as her deputy chief of staff at No 10.
The record of MPs’ financial interests shows that Mr Moynihan donated, in two separate transactions, more than £50,000 to Ms Truss’s leadership campaign.
Elliott, in addition to campaigning for Brexit, was also involved in founding the Taxpayers’ Alliance group, which lobbies for lower taxes.
Ms Rayner said: “Liz Truss and her conservative cronies brought a wrecking ball to the economy in a disastrous six-week tenure that has left millions facing mortgage misery, but Rishi Sunak now seems willing to let her deliver these obscene rewards. . for failure
“If this Prime Minister was serious about the integrity he promised, he would flatly refuse to endorse Liz Truss’s shame list.
“Instead of endorsing undeserved honors and lifetime golden sendoffs for her cheerleaders, she should demand the public apology she has refused to provide.”
Wendy Chamberlain MP, the Lib Dems’ main whip, said: “Doling out more expensive gongs to Conservative allies is a truly remarkable way to reward the shortest tenure as Prime Minister in British political history.
“Truss and his fellow conservatives wrecked our economy and left millions destitute.
“Those selected for the honors are the very people who helped plunge the country into chaos and crisis.
“Rishi Sunak must block these honors immediately, as allowing Truss to dole out positions of influence shows a staggering lack of humility.”
A Truss spokesman said he could not comment on the individuals on the list of nominees.
The PA news agency understands that the publication of its honor recommendations is not imminently expected as the system is currently consumed with Boris Johnson’s resignation honors and the King’s coronation honours.