Downton Abbey creator Fellowes given peerage

Julian Fellowes, the creator of period drama Downton Abbey and the winner of an Oscar for penning the screenplay for Gosford Park, was perhaps the most high-profile of the new peerages. He’ll sit on the Conservative benches.

Michael Grade, the former BBC chairman and ITV executive chairman has also become a Tory peer, while journalist Dame Joan Bakewell will join the Labour bench.

In total, 54 new faces have entered the Lords, including society divorce lawyer Fiona Shackleton for the Tories – her clients have included Sir Paul McCartney and the Prince of Wales.

Conservative and Labour party donors were controversial inclusions.

For the Tories, car importer Bob Edmiston and a fundraiser for David Cameron – Andrew Feldman.

For Labour, donor Sir Gulam Noon, the curry tycoon.

Mr Edmiston and Mr Noon were both questioned under caution as part of the 2007 police inquiry into whether loans were made in return for the promise of an honour. No charges were brought and the investigation concluded without a prosecution.

Director of pressure group Unlock Democracy Peter Facey was among the critics.

He asked: “If politicians and Prime Ministers want to reward their friends, instead of sending them to the House of Lords, what’s wrong with a gold watch?

“People who make and amend our laws should be elected by the public, not selected for good deeds done in the past by grateful politicians.”

The Scottish National Party MP, Angus MacNeil, whose complaint to police sparked the cash-for-honours inquiry, echoed the criticism.

“David Cameron should be mindful of the mess Tony Blair found himself in over the appointment of party donors to the Lords,” he said.

“There should be no link between donations and peerages, but we again have big donors being elevated to the Lords.

Later, Mr Cameron’s spokesman defended the move, saying: “There is an established process on appointing peers, and that is that they are vetted through the House of Lords Appointments Commission, and there is an established process on donations, which is that they have to be declared to the Electoral Commission.”

“If politicians and Prime Ministers want to reward their friends, instead of sending them to the House of Lords, what’s wrong with a gold watch?” Unlock Democracy’s Peter Facey

Other notable inclusions on the Conservative list were businessman Sir Michael Bishop, Conservative co-treasurer Stanley Fink, ex-MPs Howard Flight and Richard Spring, the former chief whip David Maclean and Sir Michael Lord, a former deputy speaker of the Commons.

Additions to the Labour benches include Stewart Wood, a former adviser to Gordon Brown until after this year’s general election.

Labour Party general secretary Ray Collins and former Labour MP Oona King are also to receive peerages.

Of Mr Collins’ peerage, the Labour leader, Ed Miliband said: “He has been a loyal servant over the years, and will be a diligent and hard working member of the House of Lords, actively helping Labour to hold the Government to account.”

Crossbencher

Former Army chief General Sir Richard Dannatt is to take a place in the Lords as a crossbencher, despite being nominated by David Cameron when he was leader of the Opposition.

The Lib Dems did not give peerages to as high-profile names as the Conservatives and Labour, and one of the big shocks was the omission of the former Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Brian Paddick, who had been widely tipped to enter the House of Lords.

Mr Paddick told Channel 4 News: “Nobody would believe me when I told them that I wasn’t going to get a peerage this time around, but I’ve known for a long time that I wouldn’t be put forward.

“I’m top of the members’ list but it’s Nick (Clegg) who decides and I’ve had conversations with him about it. But the final selection is surrounded in mystery.”

He added: “It is his decision and I will never make representations to try and get myself into the Lords; that’s very undignified.”