Rishi Sunak is accused of 'obscene cronyism' as surprise Easter honours list ... trends now
Rishi Sunak has been accused of 'obscene cronyism' over his decision to award a knighthood to Egyptian-born billionaire Mohamed Mansour who recently gave £5m to the Conservatives.
The Prime Minister surprised many by announcing a new raft of honours for a range of political and creative figures, including Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan.
Also included among the honours were four Tory MPs: Harriett Baldwin, Philip Davies, Mark Spencer and Tracey Crouch.
The decision to award new honours, which are traditionally handed out at the end of the year, led to criticism from Mr Sunak's political rivals including from Reform UK leader Richard Tice who said 'the whole thing stinks.'
He told the Telegraph: 'The nation is sick of the Tories and their obscene cronyism.
'Bung them a few million quid and a peerage or knighthood is yours. The whole thing stinks like a rotting fish, from the head.
'Amusingly, they have tried to disguise their tracks with various other soft or cultural types being honoured. We are not that stupid.'
Rishi Sunak has been accused of 'obscene cronyism' over his decision to award a knighthood to Egyptian-born billionaire Mohamed Mansour
Sir Mohamed's inclusion on the honours list has proved particularly controversial given his history with the party
Sir Philip Davies, the MP for Shipley whose wife is the Government's 'common sense' minister Esther McVey, said he was 'absolutely delighted' to be handed a knighthood
Sir Mohamed's inclusion has proved particularly controversial given his history with the party.
He is a senior treasurer for the Tories and chairman of the Mansour Group and founded the London-based investment firm Man Capital.
Sir Mohamed previously served as Egypt's transport minister between 2006 and 2009 under the country's autocratic president Hosni Mubarak, who was toppled in 2011 during the 'Arab Spring' uprisings.
Last year, Sir Mohamed rejuvenated the Tory coffers to the tune of £5million saying he backed Mr Sunak as a 'capable' PM who could restore the country's economy.
The seven-figure donation was the largest single lump sum the party received in more than two decades.
Writing in the Telegraph, he said he left Egypt for Britain due to it being 'a place where the rule of law is paramount, property rights are respected and with an enviable record of political stability'.
'I believe that this country has a very capable Prime Minister. One who understands how growth is generated in the modern economy,' he said.
'He gets the importance of technology and innovation. He can make the modern economy work for all UK citizens.'
Sir Mohamed added: 'I look at what he has achieved in his first months in office and think what he could do in five years.'
Labour had previously urged the Tories to hand back Sir Mohamed's money as the party questioned the length of time it had taken for one of his companies to wind down its business in Russia, following the invasion of Ukraine.
Mr Sunak's new honours have been described by Labour as the last acts of a dying Government.
Anneliese Dodds MP, the Labour Party chairman, said: 'This is either the arrogant act of an entitled man who's stopped caring what the public thinks or the demob-happy self-indulgence of someone who doesn't expect to be Prime Minister much longer.
'Either way, it shows a blatant disrespect for the office he should feel privileged to hold.'
Senior No 10 sources pointed to Sir Mohamed's charitable work and record of public service.
