A TORY donor has been sacked as a minister after less than a month, despite being given a peerage to do the job.
Dominic Johnson, a former business partner of ex-business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg, spent just 26 days as minister for investment after his appointment by Liz Truss on October 2.
His dismissal was confirmed by an update to the Government’s website on Monday, which said he had left office on October 28.
Shortly after his appointment as a minister, he was given a seat in the House of Lords to enable him to carry out his role, becoming Lord Johnson of Lainston on October 19.
Despite no longer being a government minister, he will retain his peerage unless he chooses to give it up voluntarily.
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Prior to his appointment, Lord Johnson founded Somerset Capital with Rees-Mogg in 2007.
Lord Johnson also served as vice-chairman of the Conservative Party between 2016 and 2019, and has donated more than £250,000 to the party since 2014.
His appointment was criticised by Labour, with shadow trade secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds describing him as an “unelected asset fund manager” and “crony party donor”, and saying his appointment “beggars belief”.
Responding to Lord Johnson’s dismissal, Thomas-Symonds said: “Working people are paying the price for this Government’s economic crisis, and this is yet another example of Conservative cronyism costing the taxpayer and damaging our country’s reputation.
“The Government is failing to deliver the trade deals they promised, costing Britain vital growth opportunities and jobs. Yet rather than find the right person for an important job, they picked one of Jacob Rees-Mogg’s mates – who, it turns out, was ennobled for life in order to be a minister for a month.
“Yet another example of the crony revolving door. This is what happens when you have a Government that puts party first and the country second.”
Simon Murray, who also became a peer on October 19 to enable him to do a ministerial job, has been retained at the Home Office by the new Prime Minister but has been demoted from minister of state to parliamentary under-secretary.
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