Boris Johnson was told his attempt to award a peerage to Nadine Dorries had been rejected as long ago as February, according to senior government sources.
The former prime minister and the ex-culture secretary shocked Westminster when they announced they were quitting as MPs on Friday, triggering by-elections their party, currently struggling in the polls, could lose.
They are both locked in a public spat with Rishi Sunak over her peerage, amid claims Mr Johnson did not know until recently his nominations had been blocked.
Ms Dorries has accused the Prime Minister of “duplicitously and cruelly” blocking her appointment and claimed that information needed for her to pass the vetting process was held back.
She has also said she discovered her name was not on the list half an hour before it was published.
But the government disputed her claims.
It is understood that Mr Johnson was told she was not on the list of approved nominations after it was sent to Mr Sunak in February by the House of Lords Appointments Commission (Holac), the official vetting body.
On Monday tensions spilled over as Mr Sunak said his one-time ally had asked him to “do something I wasn’t prepared to do”.
The prime minister suggested Mr Johnson wanted him to ignore the recommendations of HOLAC. More follows …
