HELEN BACH COLUMN: Blair’s award ruined honours for me

Sometimes you read the New Year’s Honours List and completely agree with the people who have received an award, writes Helen Bach.
Tony Blair's knighthood has been criticised for his role in the Iraq WarTony Blair's knighthood has been criticised for his role in the Iraq War
Tony Blair's knighthood has been criticised for his role in the Iraq War

Some are well-deserved and I was pleased to see Professors Chris Whitty and Jonathan Van-Tam honoured for their work during the pandemic; plus Kate Garraway awarded an MBE and Katie Piper an OBE.

Locally, Julie West, from Rushden, was awarded a British Empire Medal for selling poppies since the age of 15 and raising huge sums of money for the Royal British Legion.

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It was also great to see our local sporting heroes honoured, and congratulations go to Wollaston’s swimming sensation Maisie Summers-Newton and Corby’s BMX gold medallist, Charlotte Worthington for their MBEs.

However, there was a name on this year’s list which caused me to raise both eyebrows in surprise. Actually, truthfully, it did more than that.

I remember it clearly; it was New Year’s Eve, I was reading the BBC News on the red button, which I do before bed, and exclaimed to husband: “You’ll never guess who they’ve given a knighthood to! Only Tony *expletive deleted* Blair!”

I decided there and then that I’d put pen to paper and write to the Queen in the morning to express my displeasure that she’d made Tony a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.

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Sadly, as so often happens these days, events overtook me, and I never got around to writing to Her Majesty’s office to politely, but firmly, express my amazement at their choice of gong-giving on this occasion.

However, it turns out that I needn’t have worried, because at the time of writing this column, a petition to rescind his knighthood has reached more than one million signatures.

Now, I’m not sure how these things work as the Honours system remains a total mystery to me and I’m highly unlikely to ever get a ‘golden ticket’ myself.

But I think this shows the strength of feeling that this particular honour is not a popular choice throughout the nation, doesn’t it?

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