It’s that time of year again. As sure as ‘Auld Lang Syne’ and Sadiq’s fireworks farce, poring over the names of the newly-published Honours List is a time-honoured custom on New Year’s Day. Mr S got his embargoed copy and is delighted to regale his readers with news of the big-hitters collecting gongs in 2022. Tennis champ Emma Raducanu does indeed become the youngest MBE recipient ever, following her US Open triumph, with Olympian power couple Laura and Jason Kenny getting a damehood and knighthood apiece. Adam Peaty and Tom Daley receive OBEs for raising awareness of mental health and LGBT issues respectively as well as their gold medal winning achievements at Tokyo 2020.
As predicted by Mr S, there’s honours aplenty for those involved in Britain’s Covid campaign. Both Jonathan Van Tam and Chris Whitty get knighthoods while Jenny Harries receives a damehood, despite her numerous blunders. Sir Patrick Vallance takes home his second knighthood – Order of the Bath, very nice – while there’s nothing for Matt Hancock, regardless of his self-promoting claims. Vanessa Redgrave and Gordon Brown’s old nemesis Joanna Lumley both will be dames with soap stars Bill Roache and June Brown of Coronation Street and Eastenders grabbing OBEs. Gratifyingly, Qatari shill David Beckham misses out on a knighthood again – despite his over-active PR campaign.
But it’s the political honours that always draws Steerpike’s eye. This year Tony Blair finally received his knighthood – and was made Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the highest possible ranking in the new year’s list. Blair has been waiting to be knighted for over 14 years – with only one of the Queen’s last nine prime ministers not receiving the honour.
When it comes to other political appointments, this year’s list appears to be relatively scandal-free, aside from the obligatory gongs for aspiring grandees. David Cameron restored the tradition of backbenchers getting knighthoods and this year’s lucky recipients are Robert Goodwill and Bill Wiggin who have clocked up the obligatory 15 years without too much trouble for the Whips. Every sitting Tory MP elected prior to 1997 has now been knighted with the unlucky exceptions of David Davis, Liam Fox, Michael Fabricant and John Whittingdale. As Boris has moved to knighting MPs elected in the ’01, ’05 and ’10 intakes – including Robert Buckland, who got a knighthood after being sacked earlier this year, and Caroline Dinenage, who has been made a dame – have these older MPs missed their chance? On the other side, long-serving former Labour MP Frank Field will join Sir Paul Nurse in collecting the Companion of Honour while former backbenchers Sylvia Heal and John Battle get a knighthood and damehood respectively.
In the Lords, the long-serving Labour Chief Whip Tommy McAvoy gets a knighthood for taking his defenestration in May with good humour. Establishment fixture and outgoing Public Appointments Commissioner Peter Riddell finally gets one too, having spent 2021 complaining about the Tories stuffing institutions with their supporters. Largesse can work both ways Peter. Lesser names include Nonie Bouverat of the Conservative Party Foundation receiving an OBE while ex MEP Anthea McIntyre takes a CBE and Labour apparatchik Hilary Perrin is now an MBE. Trebles all round!
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