Rishi Sunak’s final act? The Prime Minister awards his top adviser a knighthood minutes before polls close, along with a host of retiring Tory bigwigs including Theresa May and Chris ‘failing’ Grayling

Rishi Sunak has awarded his right-hand man a knighthood as part of the dissolution of Parliament announced just hours before his likely downfall.

Chief of Staff No. 10 Liam Booth-Smith, 37, known as “Treasury Travolta” because of his penchant for leather jackets, will enter the House of Lords along with a number of Tory bigwigs leaving the House of Commons.

The Dissolution Honours List, Candidates announced less than an hour before polls closed for the general election include former Prime Minister Theresa May and Tory backbencher Sir Graham Brady.

Even more controversial is the knighthood of Chris Grayling, a former minister who was dubbed “the failed Grayling” by his critics after holding several high offices.

The Labour Party also has a peerage for Harriet Harman, the long-serving former deputy leader who led parliamentary efforts to censure Boris Johnson over the Partygate scandal.

Former Deputy Speaker Dame Eleanor Laing and former MP Craig Mackinlay, who suffered from sepsis and subsequently lost his hands and feet, were also knighted.

Former COP26 President and Cabinet Minister Sir Alok Sharma was also made a peer.

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, former parliamentary leader Julian Smith, former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Scotland Secretary Alister Jack have been nominated for the knighthood.

Sir Keir Starmer’s other nominees for the peerage include Dame Margaret Beckett, Margaret Hodge and Kevan Jones, the former defence secretary.

Earlier this week it was reported that the Labour Party is considering appointing trans ally Harman to head the Equalities Authority if it comes to power.

The former deputy leader of the Labour Party, who is stepping down after more than 40 years as an MP, is considered a candidate for the chairmanship of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).

Its current chairwoman, Baroness Falkner, takes a tough stance on gender ideology and defends women’s rights.

But Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch’s plan to extend her five-year term, which ends in November, was thwarted by Rishi Sunak’s call for a surprise early election.

If appointed, Ms Harman’s choice would be highly controversial as she is a strong advocate for transgender rights and has stated that trans men should not be completely excluded from services for women.

In an interview with Sky in 2022, the 73-year-old said: “I support the Gender Recognition Act. For me, women are women who were born women, but women are also women who are trans women.”

“I think we also need to recognise that in some respects there have to be same-sex services that can be provided and that you can’t exclude trans women across the board, but in certain narrow circumstances you can restrict those services.”

Mr Grayling announced his resignation in October, saying he had been successfully treated for prostate cancer earlier in the year and the diagnosis had led him to decide it was “time for a change”.

Mr Grayling has been MP for Epsom and Ewell since 2001 and served under both the Cameron and May governments, most recently as Transport Secretary from 2016 to 2019.