Mandarin who gave Boris Johnson's diaries to police is knighted

Arise, Sir ‘Stich-up’: Mandarin who gave Boris Johnson’s diaries to police is knighted in King’s birthday honours

  • Alex Chisholm is the most senior official in the central government department
  • He took the decision to hand police Boris Johnson’s diaries last month

A mandarin who reported Boris Johnson to the police over his Chequers guests during lockdown has been given a knighthood.

Alex Chisholm, permanent secretary in the Cabinet Office, receives the gong for public service in today’s King’s honours.

As the most senior official in the central government department, it was he who took the decision last month to hand to police the former prime minister’s diaries while they were being examined as part of preparations for the Covid inquiry.

Sir Alex, 55, acted after officials suspected family and friends had attended the premier’s grace-and-favour mansion when Covid restrictions were in place.

It triggered a major row, with Mr Johnson branding the fresh allegations of rule-breaking ‘absolute nonsense’ and that the diary entries from 2021 were ‘completely innocent’. One supporter described it as ‘the biggest stitch-up since the Bayeux Tapestry’.

Alex Chisholm (pictured) is the permanent secretary in the Cabinet Office and the most senior official in the central government department

Sir Alex took the decision to hand to police Boris Johnson’s diaries last month. Boris Johnson is pictured leaving his home in London, March 21, 2023

Sir Alex’s knighthood had been recommended several months earlier by the public service committee, which includes five permanent secretaries from other major departments. Ministers were not involved in awarding it.

But the timing of the announcement is unfortunate and risks being seen by supporters of Mr Johnson as evidence of rewarding the Establishment that tried to bring him down.

Sir Alex’s honour has even raised eyebrows within Whitehall, where there have been mutterings about his performance in recent weeks.

Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, Britain’s top civil servant, is said to have recently been forced to find an extra senior official to help him with preparations for the Covid inquiry.

‘This knighthood hasn’t gone down brilliantly in Whitehall,’ one source said.

In a further blow to Mr Johnson, a senior parliamentary official who helped strengthen the case against him has also been given an honour.

Eve Samson, clerk of the journals, is made a CBE for her work on the Queen’s funeral, including preparations for the Lying-in-State.

Last year, she told the Commons privileges committee that it did not have to prove that Mr Johnson had intended to mislead Parliament in order for him to be found in contempt, in what critics said was a break with tradition. Her fateful memo stated: ‘It is for the committee and the House to determine whether a contempt has occurred and the intention of the contemnor is not relevant to making that decision.’

Sir Alex’s knighthood had been recommended several months earlier by the public service committee

A handful of MPs have also been acknowledged in the King’s first birthday honours, which come just a week after the controversy over Mr Johnson’s resignation list. They include Ben Bradshaw, only the second openly gay MP when he was first elected in 1997, who receives a knighthood.

The veteran Labour MP for Exeter said last night: ‘I wasn’t sure about accepting it because of doubts about the honour system, and particularly in the light of recent events.

‘But also the fact that there are many unsung heroes and heroines in my constituency far more worthy of recognition.

‘But I guess I then thought, well, my late dad would have been very proud. My mum would have laughed very loudly.’

Conservative MPs John Baron and Bob Blackman are made CBEs, while former junior ministers Damian Collins and Heather Wheeler become OBEs.

Oxford-educated Sir Alex has been permanent secretary since 2020. Before joining the civil service, he was publisher and general manager of the Remain-backing Financial Times Group.

He is married to Eliza Pakenham, granddaughter of the late Labour peer and prison reformer Lord Longford.

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