Honours Committee

Last updated

Honours Committee
Ceremonial Honours and Appointments Secretariat
Honours Committee
Committee overview
Formed2005 (reorganisation)
Headquarters70 Whitehall, London SW1A 2AS
Committee executive
Parent department Cabinet Office

The Honours Committee is a committee within the Cabinet Office of the Government of the United Kingdom formed to review nominations for national honours for merit, exceptional achievement or service. Twice yearly the Honours Committee submits formal recommendations for the British monarch's New Years and Birthday Honours. Members of the Honours Committee—which comprises a main committee and nine subcommittees in speciality areas—research and vet nominations for national awards, including knighthoods and the Order of the British Empire. [1]

Contents

History

The honours system is an ancient one, particularly in Britain; Æthelstan, King of the English in the 10th century, was knighted by his grandfather, Alfred the Great. Knighthoods were originally conferred as a military honour, often on the battlefield. Later it became customary for only the reigning monarch to bestow the honour. [2] Other honours beyond knighthood were later established, including the Order of the Bath in 1725. [3]

During the 20th century, the "Ceremonial Branch" of the government was created in 1937 with the sole purpose of overseeing the honours system. In 2001, the committee became officially known as the Ceremonial Honours and Appointments Secretariat. [4]

Since 1993, members of the public have been eligible to nominate individuals; [5] government agencies may also formally put forward candidates. All citizens of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth nations can be nominated. Non-citizens are eligible for honorary awards. [6]

Following his retirement as Permanent Secretary to the Lord Chancellor's Office, Sir Hayden Phillips prepared a report in July 2004 to the Cabinet Secretary suggesting a reform of the current honours nomination system. The next year, following recommendations made in Phillips' report, a new system of eight committees was organised, with each committee focussing on a special area. (In 2012, an additional committee was added.) [1] The committees are composed of senior civil servants and independent experts in specific fields. [6] The majority of the honours committees are non-civil servants. [1]

Each subcommittee oversees nominations for its specialised area: Arts and Media; Community, Voluntary and Local Services; Economy; Education; Health; Parliamentary and Political Service; Science and Technology; Sport; and State. [7] The individual committees assess the nominations and pass the nominations to the Main Honours Committee, whose members select the final list of nominations that are passed to the King by the Prime Minister. [6]

Following the Cash for Honours scandal, the Main Honours Committee is required to determine that an individual's nomination for an honour has not been influenced by campaign and political contributions. According to the Cabinet Office's 2011 report, "The Main Honours Committee must satisfy itself that a party political donation has not influenced the decision to award an honour in any way; the committee must be confident that the candidate would have been a meritorious recipient of an honour if he or she had not made a political donation." [8]

The Cabinet's Honours Committee nominates civilians only; military honours, such as the Victoria Cross and the George Cross, are sent to the King by the Honours and Decorations Committee of the Ministry of Defence. [9] The honours committee also does not make nominations for peerages, which are created directly by the monarch.

Committees

(As at 28 October 2025)

Main committee

Arts and Media

Independent members

  • YolanDa Brown  OBE DL  - Saxophonist, Broadcaster & Chair of BPI
  • Ben Evans  CBE  - Director of the London Design Festival & Executive Director of London Design Biennale
  • Sir Richard Mantle  OBE DL  - Cultural administrator, Chair of The Grange Festival, Chair of In Peace or War & former General Director of Opera North
  • George Saumarez Smith - Director of ADAM Architecture
  • Dr Samir Shah  CBE  - Chair, BBC
  • Dr Jo Twist  OBE  - CEO, BPI
  • Lisa Opie - Managing Director, Ubisoft Reflections; Chair, ScreenSkills; Chair, Together TV
  • Kate Mosse  CBE FRSL - Author, Arts Campaigner & Founder, Women’s Prize for Fiction & Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction

Official members

  • Susannah Storey CB - Permanent Secretary, Department for Culture, Media & Sport
  • Joe Griffin - Permanent Secretary, Scottish Government

Community and Voluntary Services

Independent members

  • Rabbi Dr Harvey Belovski- Emeritus Rabbi, Golders Green Synagogue; Chief Strategist and Rabbinic Head, University Jewish Chaplaincy
  • Carly Jones MBE - Autism Advocate
  • Adeeba Malik CBE DL  - Deputy Chief Executive, QED UK
  • Daryl Brown MBE DL  - Chief Executive, Magpas Air Ambulance
  • Melanie Bryan  OBE DL  - Founder, WhyNotChange
  • Dr Wakkas Khan MBE DL  - Founder, Young Interfaith; Member, Lancashire Cricket Foundation Inclusion Advisory Board; Former Chair, Prince’s Trust Mosaic North West; Former Trustee, Oxfam GB
  • Eddie Lynch MBE - Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Group Chair, Abri; Board Member, London Travelwatch; Misconduct Hearings Independent Panel Member, Thames Valley Police
  • Ruth Shaw  OBE  - Independent Consultant, Affleck & Co
  • Michelle Mitchell OBE  - Chief Executive, Cancer Research UK
  • Jane MacLeod LL - Solicitor; Chair, Developing Young Workforce Argyll; Secretary and Treasurer, Mid Argyll Chamber of Commerce
  • Dr Stefan Fafinski  DL  - Trustee, Public Appointee and Deputy Lieutenant for the Royal County of Berkshire

Official members

  • Susannah Storey CB - Permanent Secretary, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
  • Will Garton - Director General, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
  • Dr Andrew Goodall  CBE  - Permanent Secretary, Welsh Government

Economy

Independent members

  • Dame Vivian Hunt  DBE  - Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company
  • Dr Gerard Lyons - Chief Economic Strategist, Netwealth
  • Peter Harrison, Chair Morgan Sindall plc, NED at Lazard Inc and Chair Business in the Community
  • Dame Julia Hoggett  DBE   - CEO, London Stock Exchange
  • Steven Cooper  CBE  - CEO, Aldermore Group; Chair, Experian UK

Official members

  • Gareth Davies CB - Permanent Secretary, Department for Business and Trade
  • Jeremy Pocklington CB - Permanent Secretary, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
  • Joe Griffin - Permanent Secretary, Scottish Government
  • James Bowler CB - Permanent Secretary, HM Treasury

Education

Independent members

  • Dame Sally Coates DBE  - Director of Secondary Education, United Learning
  • Dame Sally Dicketts  DBE - President, Association of Colleges
  • Sir Martyn Oliver, HM Chief Inspector of Education
  • Dame Nicola Dandridge  DBE
  • Dame Janet Beer  DBE  
  • Clive Lawrence  OBE  - Chief Education Officer at Esteem Multi-Academy Trust

Official members

Health and Social Care

Independent members

  • Dr Henrietta Hughes  OBE  - lately National Guardian for the NHS
  • Dame Til Wykes  DBE  - Professor of Clinical Psychology and Rehabilitation, King’s College London
  • Dame Ruth Beverley  DBE  - Lately Chief Nursing Officer for England
  • Dame Laura Lee  DBE  - Chief Executive, Maggie’s
  • Sir David Pearson CBE - Lately President of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services
  • Wol Kolade CBE - Managing Partner of Livingbridge, lately Deputy Chair of NHS England and lately Chair of the Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation

Official members

  • Professor Sir Chris Whitty  KCB FRS   - Chief Medical Officer (England)
  • Samantha Jones  OBE – Permanent Secretary, Department of Health and Social Care
  • Judith Paget  CBE DL  - Director General, Department for Health, Social Services and Children, Welsh Government

Parliamentary and Political Service

Independent members

  • Lord McNicol of West Kilbride
  • Lord Oates
  • Professor Stephanie Rickard - Professor of Political Science, London School of Economics 
  • Craig Stephenson  OBE - Trustee, Public Appointee and formerly Director at Welsh Parliament.

Official members

Public Service

Independent members

  • Tariq Shah  OBE  - CEO, Vigo Group
  • Sir David Thompson QPM DL   - Former Chief Constable, West Midlands Police 
  • The Rt. Hon. Lord Young of Old Windsor GCB GCVO PC - Independent senior corporate adviser; House of Lords Finance Select Committee; former Principal Private Secretary to the Sovereign
  • Caroline Underwood  OBE  - Founder & CEO, Philanthropy Company

Official members

  • Susan Acland-Hood – Permanent Secretary, Department for Education
  • Simon Ridley, Second Permanent Secretary, Home Office
  • Dr Andrew Goodall  CBE  – Permanent Secretary, Welsh Government
  • Will Garton - Director General, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
  • Dr Jo Farrar CB OBE  - Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice

Science, Technology and Research

Independent members

  • Professor Sir Keith Burnett,  CBE FRS   – Chair, Nuffield Foundation & Chair of the Academic Council, Schmidt Science Fellowship, University of Oxford.
  • Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser  DBE FRS  – CEO, UK Research & Innovation
  • Professor Dame Muffy Calder  DBE FRSE FREng  - University of Glasgow 
  • Stian Westlake - Executive Chair, Economic and Social Research Council 
  • Professor Sarah Hainsworth  OBE FREng   - Pro-Vice Chancellor, University of Bath 
  • Professor Dame Julia Black  DBE FBA  - Warden, Nuffield College & Professor of Law and Regulation, University of Oxford
  • Professor Nola Hewitt-Dundas - Professor of Innovation Management and Policy & Pro Vice-Chancellor, Queen’s University Belfast 

Official members

  • Professor Dame Angela McLean  DBE FRS  - Chief Scientific Adviser to HM Government & Head, Government Office for Science
  • Kamran Nazeer CB OBE - Permanent Secretary, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
  • Professor Jas Pal Badyal  FRS  - Chief Scientific Advisor for Wales

Sport

Independent members

  • Susan Barker  CBE  - Former television presenter and professional tennis player
  • Anthony Hamilton - British racing car manager
  • Elena Narozanski - Board member, Football Foundation and Sport England
  • Jennie Price  CBE   - Former CEO of Sport England, Chair, International Tennis Integrity Agency
  • Robert Sullivan - CEO, Football Foundation

Official members

  • Susannah Storey CB - Permanent Secretary, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
  • Jayne Brady MBE - Head of Northern Ireland Civil Service

State

Independent members

  • Pavita Cooper - Portfolio Non-Executive Director and Chair, 30% Club UK
  • Martyn Roper OBE - Former Diplomat, lately Governor of the Cayman Islands
  • Tony Poulter - Non-Executive Board member, Department for Transport Board; Civil Service Commissioner; Other NED roles
  • Margaret Edwards  OBE  - Former Chair of the Civil Service Pension Board and Civil Service Commissioner.

Official members

  • Dame Sarah Healey DCB CVO  - Permanent Secretary, Department, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
  • Dame Antonia Romeo DCB - Permanent Secretary, Home Office

Diversity and Outreach Committee

The Committee will assist the committee process in delivering an honours system which is representative of UK society through a programme of policy improvements and interventions; targeted regional and sectoral outreach and publicity of the honours system; and advice to both the independent committees and Government departments.

Independent members

  • Lisa Opie – Managing Director, Ubisoft Reflections; Chair, ScreenSkills; Chair, Together TV (Arts and Media Committee)
  • Eddie Lynch MBE – Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Group Chair, Abri; Board Member, London Travelwatch; Misconduct Hearings Independent Panel Member, Thames Valley Police (Community & Voluntary Service Committee)
  • Dame Julia Hoggett  DBE  – CEO, London Stock Exchange (Economy Committee)
  • Clive Lawrence  OBE  – Chief Education Officer at Esteem Multi-Academy Trust (Education Committee)
  • Wol Kolade CBE – Managing Partner of Livingbridge, lately Deputy Chair of NHS England and lately Chair of the Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation (Health and Social Care Committee)
  • Craig Stephenson  OBE  –  Trustee, Public Appointee & formerly Director at Welsh Parliament (Parliamentary and Political Service Committee)
  • Caroline Underwood  OBE  – Founder & CEO, Philanthropy Company (Public Service Committee)
  • Professor Nola Hewitt-Dundas – Professor of Innovation Management & Policy and Pro Vice-Chancellor, Queen’s University Belfast (Science, Technology and Research Committee)
  • Jennie Price  CBE  – Former CEO of Sport England, Chair, International Tennis Integrity Agency (Sport Committee)
  • Pavita Cooper – Portfolio Non-Executive Director & Chair, 30% Club UK (State Committee)

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Honours Committee Post: Background" (PDF). Cabinet Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 April 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "Knighthoods". Official Website of the British Monarchy. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  3. ↑ "The Honours System: Second Report of Session 2012–13" (PDF). House of Commons of the United Kingdom. 17 July 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  4. ↑ "Recognising exceptional achievement or service". Government of the United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 14 February 2006. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  5. ↑ "The honours nomination process explained". Government of Northern Ireland. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 "Guide to the Honours". BBC. 28 December 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  7. ↑ "Honours Committees". Cabinet Office . Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  8. ↑ "Second Report on Operation of the Reformed Honours System (November 2011)" (PDF). Cabinet Office . Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  9. ↑ "Military Honours and Awards". Official Website of the British Monarchy. Retrieved 12 April 2015.

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