Liz Truss resignation honours: What else you can get for £53,000 instead of a seat in the House of Lords

Liz Truss’s resignation honours list was published - we could, but won't, say sneaked out - at the same time as the New Year Honours list.

Its very existence caused controversy as some argued that after only 49 days as prime minister - the shortest-serving in British history - and leaving in ignominy after the budget changes caused the pound to fall to its lowest ever rate against the dollar, and interest rates to rocket, Ms Truss should not have exercised her right to bestow peerages. See the full list at the foot of this article.

Jon Moynihan - and Truss’s short-lived deputy chief of staff in No 10, Ruth Porter - will join the House of Lords but it has been noted that venture capitalist Moynihan donated £53,000 to Truss’s leadership campaign, some £20,000 while it was in action and £33,000 to cover the “winding up costs” after she beat Rishi Sunak last summer. Admittedly, Moynihan has been a long-term donor to the Conservative Party, giving hundreds of thousands of pounds over the years, but the peerage has reignited the cash-for-peerages slurs that have often dogged honours lists - but also raised questions of what else £53,000 can buy you.

So, a seat in the House of Lords or a static home in Barrow-in-Furness, in Cumbria? Zoopla says it is a ‘superb’ place with “travel links into the centre of Walney, Barrow and further afield. The location offers access to Walney Golf Course, shops and amenities”. Yours for about £50,000.

Or if you fancy joining a club but the House of Lords isn’t quite fashionable enough, try Ned’s Club in the City. Standard Ned’s Club membership is said to be in the region of £3,465 annually - so you could get 15 years for that kind of cash.

You may fancy a new car instead. Sadly a Range Rover would be out of budget - its website quotes £103,720 as the base price for customising your own model - but a 2024 Porsche Macan SUV starts at £53,400 - spot on.

Or perhaps a luxurious bottle of wine. Electronics billionaire Pierre Chen is auctioning off his wine cellar over the next year, and a bottle of 1982 Chateau Petrus Bordeaux is estimated to fetch around $65,000 (£53,000).

Oh well, this is all very droll. How we laughed. But strip away everything and you're left once again with the realisation that to be awarded a seat in the House of Lords - our legislature, the upper house of our Parliament, don't forget - it is not always public service or expertise that will get you entry. It's a thank you for bankrolling a political campaign. Thanks guys.

Liz Truss's resignation honours list in full 

Resignation Peerages

Matthew Elliott - political strategist and formerly chief executive of Vote Leave

Jon Moynihan - formerly CEO and executive chairman of PA Consulting Group. Formerly Chairman of Vote Leave

Ruth Porter - deputy chief of staff to the former Prime Minister in 2022

Order of the British Empire - Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Shirley Ida Conran - for services to mathematics education as founder of the Maths Anxiety Trust

Jacqueline Doyle-Price MP - for public and political service as Minister of State for Industry and Member of Parliament for Thurrock

Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Alec Edward Shelbrooke MP - for public and political service as Minister of State for Defence Procurement and Member of Parliament for Elmet and Rothwell

Order of the British Empire - Commanders of the Order of the British Empire

Sophie Ina Jarvis - for public service as special adviser from July 2019 to October 2022 at DIT, FCDO and 10 Downing Street

Shabbir Riyaz Merali - for public service as economic adviser and special adviser from February 2018 to October 2022 at HM Treasury, DIT, FCDO and 10 Downing Street

Order of the British Empire - Officers of the Order of the British Empire

Robert Butler MP - for political and public service as Parliamentary Private Secretary at FCDO and Member of Parliament for Aylesbury

Suzanne Webb MP - for political and public service as Parliamentary Private Secretary at DIT and 10 Downing Street, and Member of Parliament for Stourbridge

David Hills - for political service as Conservative Association Chairman in South West Norfolk