Why is Charlotte Owen's peerage causing controversy?

A storm is brewing in Westminster - so there's nothing new there.

The current controversy is over the appointment of Charlotte Owen as a life peer in the House of Lords, which we've known about for months but became official yesterday.

Owen was sworn into the Lords on Monday where she will be known as Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge and will sit as a Conservative peer

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A former aide to Boris Johnson, 30-year-old Owen was included in the prime minister's controversial resignation honours list in June, joining fellow Tories Shaun Bailey of Partygate fame and Ben Houchen in being elevated to the position.

Why is this controversial?

Partly because in comparison to other members of the House of Lords, where the average age is 71, she doesn't have much experience.

Owen worked as a constituency intern for Tory MP William Wragg for one month.

She then worked as a parliamentary intern to Johnson for six months before becoming a parliamentary assistant to Alok Sharma.

After a stint with Sharma, she became a senior parliamentary assistant to Jake Berry and Johnson, before exclusively working for the former prime minister for a year and two months.

From February 2021 to October 2022, Owen was a special adviser to both Johnson and Liz Truss during her short tenure as PM.

Then there are all the perks she will get. Lords can claim £342 for each day they attend the House.

They also play a role in shaping and scrutinising bills before the become law, as well as holding the government to account.

With that in mind, social media has had a field day about Owen:

Not the best reception someone has ever got for starting a new role...

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