The Prime Minister’s Spokesman (PMS) said that, as with previous Lists, the 2004 New Year’s Honours List reflected and paid tribute to outstanding achievement and service right across the community and the nation as a whole. A total of 981 Honours had been awarded. A key aim had been to reward those who worked and served at the sharp end - people who had really changed things, or who had given outstanding service to others in difficult situations.
480 people in the Prime Minister’s list of recommendations (47%) had been nominated or supported by members of the public. The List also reflected the Government’s commitment to recognising those working in its key priority areas: education, health, law and order.
Education, for instance, made up 10% of the total. There was a GBE for Sir Cyril Taylor, Chairman of the Technology Colleges Trust, the education charity. There was a DBE for Alexandra Burslem, Vice-Chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University, one of the newer universities. Knighthoods had been awarded to Bernard O’Connell, Principal of Runshaw College, North Ribble, whose work had transformed the College into one of the most remarkable public sector organisations in the country; and Dexter Hutt, Head of Ninestiles Secondary School in Birmingham, whose approach had enabled the school’s performance to improve significantly over the last nine years.
Health and social services made up another 10% of the total. There was a wide range of awards, including a DBE for Julia Neuberger, Chief Executive of the King’s Fund. Knighthoods had been awarded to Professor Alasdair Breckenridge, Chairman of the Committee on the Safety of Medicines; Professor Robert Boyd, lately Pro-Vice Chancellor of London University; Professor Martin Evans, Director of Cardiff School of Biosciences. Those being awarded CBEs included Professor Andrew Lorimer, until recently the President of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Glasgow; and Bernard Ribeiro, Consultant General Surgeon at the Basildon and Thurrock General Hospitals NHS Trust.
In other areas, there was a GCMG, on the Diplomatic List, for George Robertson, who had stood down recently as Secretary General of NATO. DBEs had been awarded to Pauline Harris, a joint trustee of the Harris Family Charitable Trust; Elisabeth Hoodless, Executive Director of Community Service Volunteers which she has developed through partnerships into the UK’s largest volunteering charity.
Knighthoods had been awarded to three MPs, following nominations from their respective Parties, for their services to Parliament: Stuart Bell, John Butterfill and Menzies Campbell. There was also a Knighthood for David Hatch, Chairman of the Parole Board for England and Wales.
Business Science and Technology made up 18% of the awards. Among the Knighthoods were Professor John Brady, BP Professor of Information Engineering at Oxford; Arnold Clark, Chairman and Chief Executive of the Arnold Clark Organisation, which had become the largest motor dealership and privately owned business in Scotland; Michael Darrington, Group Managing Director of Greggs plc, now established as one of Europe’s biggest bakers and of significant importance to the economy of the north east.
The Arts comprised 7% of the total. There were DBEs for Joan Plowright the actress and Patricia Hodgson, until recently Chief Executive of the Independent Television Commission. There were Knighthoods for Gerrard Robinson, Chairman of the Arts Council England; Richard Armstrong, the Musical Director of Scottish Opera; and Simon Jenkins, journalist and writer. There was also a Knighthood on the Overseas List for Harold Evans. Among the CBEs were Eric Clapton; Stephen Daldry; Anthony Stoller, lately Chief Executive of the Radio Authority; James Brown, until recently Chairman of Newsquest Media Group; Philip Pullman; Ray Davies; and Rosemary Conley. Those being awarded OBEs included June Mendoza, the portrait painter; Roy Hudd; Chris Tarrant; and Nicholas Parsons.
Awards for sport made up 7% of the List, rather more than usual because of the inclusion of the Rugby World Cup winning squad. The Prime Minister had wanted to mark the team’s fantastic achievement. They had shown tremendous character. What stood out wasn’t just the fact that they had won the World Cup, but the way that they had won it. A Knighthood had been awarded to Clive Woodward and a CBE had been given to Martin Johnson. Both had shown inspirational leadership during the World Cup campaign. OBEs had been awarded to Jonny Wilkinson, Jason Leonard, Andy Robinson, the England rugby coach, and Francis Baron, the Chief Executive of the Rugby Football Union. Other players and coaches in the squad had received MBEs.
Other awards for Sport included a CBE for Tessa Sanderson, Vice-Chairman of Sport England; and OBEs for Tim Henman and Martin O’Neill, the Manager of Celtic Football Club (and, in the PMS’s opinion, the best Manager of Leicester City FC until Micky Adams had taken over).
Finally, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman, Godric Smith, had been awarded a CBE for the arduous task of briefing the Lobby for six years.
Asked if fewer people had been nominated by the public than last year, the PMS said that it was about the same. In recent years, approximately 50% of nominations had been put forward by the public.
Asked about the current review of the Honours system, the PMS said that the review was ongoing. Its purpose was to look at the structure and the membership of the Honours Committees with the aim of achieving greater transparency and greater independent input into the process. The review would conclude in due course.
Asked whether Tim Henman had been given an honour to ‘add interest’ to the List, the PMS said that she would not comment on leaked documents. The Cabinet Office had dealt with these questions over recent weeks. Asked why Tim Henman was on the List, the PMS told journalists that Mr Henman was an extremely successful tennis player and was one of the best that Britain had produced in many years. He had been awarded for his success and had a lot of support throughout the country.
Asked if there was any recognition in the List for those serving in Iraq, the PMS reminded journalists that the MOD had produced a List reflecting the work in Iraq at the end of October, although it was possible that further Honours might have been included in the New Year’s List.
Asked if the inclusion of all the Rugby players was specifically at the request of the Prime Minister, the PMS said that the World Cup had obviously taken place late in the Honours nomination process. However, the Prime Minister had felt that it was important for their achievement to be noted as soon as possible.
Asked why some members of the Rugby Squad had received different honours, the PMS pointed out that some of the players already had MBEs. Clive Woodward as coach and Martin Johnson as team captain had shown inspirational leadership and it had been considered necessary to give due recognition to the part that they had played.
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