Boris Johnson's decision to give Charlotte Owen peerage has netizens asking many unusual questions

Boris Johnson’s list of people nominated for honours was published shortly before he resigned as MP last Friday and it sparked not only a political row with Rishi Sunak but also quite a controversy online.

The current PM accused Boris Johnson of pressing him for nominations for his closest allies, including peerage-hopeful Nadine Dorries, something his predecessor dismissed as ‘rubbish’.

But while people were too focused on who was excluded from the honours list, it emerged that who got in proved more interesting.

Twitter exploded after it emerged that Boris Johnson gave the peerage to his former aide Charlotte Owen, 29.

The backlash sparked all sorts of speculations about how the young aide deserved the honour, with some users suggesting she is his secret daughter.

While Boris Johnson’s wife Carrie has just announced her third pregnancy, it’s a known fact that he has had extramarital affairs and children.

Here is what we know about Charlotte Owen and her peerage.

Charlotte Owen: An aide who earned peerage within 6 years

Charlotte Owen is set to become the youngest-ever peer after being included in his controversial resignation honours list.

The 29-year-old former aide to Boris Johnson who will now become Baroness Owen, attended the University of York, graduating with a 2:1 in politics and international relations in 2015.

Guardian reports that she worked as an intern at Portland, a strategic communications consultancy before joining a constituency as intern for Tory MP William Wragg for one month.

She then held a position of a parliamentary intern to Boris Johnson for six months and of parliamentary assistant to Alok Sharma for seven months.

Charlotte Owen continued her career by becoming a senior parliamentary assistant to Jake Berry and Boris Johnson for a year and nine months before exclusively working for the former prime minister for another year.

From February 2021 to October 2022, she was his special adviser.

The former aide reportedly worked for Liz Truss during her short tenure too.

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⋙ Boris Johnson reportedly richer than ever before as latest £3.8M purchase has been revealed

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What is peerage and what privileges does it give?

Life peerages in the UK are granted when proposed by the Prime Minister and entitle holders to sit in the House of Lords under the style and dignity of Baron or Baroness.

Traditionally, the honours used to be awarded to high-rank politicians on retirement.

In recent times, it became much easier to receive it.

The Life Peerages Act 1958 places no limits on the number of peerages that can be awarded.

Life peers get access to the House of Lords, which aims to scrutinise the work of the government, but are not expected to attend it regularly.

They are paid £323 plus travel and food expenses for a day's work, although they can choose to claim less or nothing at all.

Female peers are sometimes addressed by the title of ‘Lady’, however ‘The Baroness’ is much more commonly used.

How did people react to Charlotte Owen’s peerage?

Twitterexploded after users learned about Charlotte Owen’s peerage, with many questioning whether she could really earn the honour within 6 years. As the nomination had to be signed off by PM Rishi Sunak, many wondered about his role in the process too.

Speculations led to a theory that she is in fact the former PM’s secret daughter.

Many social media users admitted it wouldn’t shock them taking in account Boris Johnson's track record of extramarital affairs.

One user wrote:

It's all coming out. Charlotte Owen is Boris Johnson's daughter. Her nomination for a peerage is nepotism, pure and simple.

Although neither Boris Johnson nor Charlotte Owen commented on whether they are related, but that hasn't stopped the Twitter community from speculating.

Someone asked:

Rumours circulating that Charlotte Owen who has received a peerage from Boris Johnston, is actually his daughter from an affair years ago, when he was married. Can anyone confirm if this is true? Nothing would surprise me!

And they got a reply:

His first wife’s maiden name was Owen. They divorced in 1993, the year that Charlotte was born. Charlotte was Johnson’s mother’s name. Johnson and Owen look strikingly similar. Surely a total coincidence?

People World went further into the question of whether Charlotte Owen is related to Boris Johnson's first wife, Allegra Mostyn-Owen, clarifying that this was not true.

According to the publication, her parents are Michael Tranter-Owen and Kathryn L Grantham, however not much is known about her private life and her family.

Read more:

⋙ Boris Johnson nominates half-French father for knighthood: Here's why the move is so controversial

⋙ Boris Johnson once offered his lover Carrie Symonds a top job in his office

Sources used:

- Independent: 'Who is Charlotte Owen and why is she getting a peerage?'

- The Gazette: 'What is a life peerage?'

- Full Fact: 'The House of Lords’ daily allowance is about what Universal Credit pays in a month—but peers don’t get it every day'

- People World: 'Who is Boris Johnson’s first wife Allegra Mostyn-Owen and is Charlotte Owen related to her?'