Boris Johnson hits out at 'abuse' aimed at ex-aide Charlotte Owen after he gave her a peerage

Last year Charlotte Owen, 30, became the youngest person ever to take a seat in the House of Lords for life - after being handed a peerage by ex-PM Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson has defended handing a peerage to his former aide Charlotte Owen and hit out the "abuse" aimed at her.

Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge, as she is now known, became the youngest person ever to take a seat in the House of Lords for life after being named in Mr Johnson's resignation honours' list when she was only 30-years-old. Her appointment triggered a wave of wild conspiracy theories online.

The former special adviser was joined in the unelected upper chamber by another former No10 staffer, Ross Kempsell. The ex-journalist was 31 when he was elevated to the Lords.

Defending their appointments on Tuesday, Mr Johnson told BBC Radio 5 Live: "Both of them were extremely accomplished advisers of mine." Pressed on Ms Owen's elevation to the Lords, the ex-PM added: "She was an extremely effective political adviser.

"The House of Lords is currently rammed to the gills with people who were political advisers. I can think of the person who ran David Cameron's [operations] team who is now in the House of Lords. Nobody makes a fuss about that do they?"

Told there had been criticism of previous political appointments, Mr Johnson replied: "To be fair nothing like the abuse that particular woman has had, which is absolutely shameful." Asked whether it was sexism, he added: "Yes it is, and it's shameful. She was a very accomplished adviser, as was Ross Kempsell."

Taking up her seat in the Lord's last year, Ms Owen lavished praise on Mr Johnson. “I must thank the former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, who put a great deal of trust in me,” she told her fellow peers.

“I will be forever grateful not only for this but for his kindness and encouragement. I feel immensely privileged to have worked with him and other Cabinet Ministers during my time at No10. I was delighted that his commitment to delivering the referendum result, his optimism and his vision for levelling up the country and ensuring that life chances are distributed fairly resulted in the seismic election victory of 2019.”

Mr Johnson's comments came as he used a separate interview to criticise Keir Starmer over accepting freebies - despite accepting tens of thousands of pounds in donations himself. During his time in office, the ex-PM recorded donations for holidays and £23,853 from the JCB boss Anthony Bamford and his wife Carole for his 2022 wedding bash costs at a grand Cotswolds country house. This included costs for the hire of a marquee, portaloos, catering, waiting staff, flowers, and an ice cream van, according to the Commons register of MPs' financial interests.