Saturday, December 30, 2023
Cronies?
Despite harping back to a rather dodgy history of empire, the honours system does give the state the opportunity to recognise the often unheralded work of individuals in their community, for charities and for other organisations. What brings it down is when it is used to reward those whose main contribution has been in propping up their friends, in some cases gaining greater prominence for their views or business as a result.
The Guardian reveals that this year is no different. They say that Rishi Sunak is facing accusations of cronyism after at least seven Conservative donors were given honours in the new year list of awards, including knighthoods for the taxi firm founder John Griffin and the Wetherspoon’s boss Tim Martin:
Griffin, the founder of Addison Lee, has given £3m to the Conservatives and is knighted for services to industry and charity. Martin, who donated £400,000 to the Vote Leave campaign and £50,000 to the Tories in the 2019 election, is knighted for services to hospitality and culture. More recently, Martin has given £25,000 to Nigel Farage’s Reform party.
Other donors to get awards include Ron Dennis, the former McClaren boss, who has given £300,000 to the Tories and is knighted for services to industry and charity, and William Salomon, a financier who has donated £800,000 and gets an OBE for his education charity work.
Sunak had promised to bring ethics and integrity back to politics after the Boris Johnson era, and his political opponents questioned why honours had been given to party donors.
Griffin, who has also given £12m to a medical research institute, told the Guardian that he had never sought an honour for his political contribution and that politics was “not really my bag”.
He last donated in 2019 and said he would not be giving any more money before the next election despite being “pleased to be a Conservative”. He said: “I feel now that I’ve done what I’ve done. I may make the odd contribution but nothing really exceptional. They’ve got to fight it out between them.”
On his honour, he added: “I started a company and I was a minicab driver myself and I thought I could do a better job. I had a good training regime and no driver was found guilty of any serious offence during my stewardship. I was proud of that and I felt that overall I deserve some recognition if anybody did.”
And then there is the case of Liz Truss's resignation honours. As the Independent reports, Truss, who lasted just 49 days, the shortest reign by any Prime Minister, gave out an honour for every 4.5 days she served, doling out peerages to the men who played key roles in masterminding Britain’s exit from the European Union.
Remembered mostly for having decimated the UK economy, Truss nominated Matthew Elliott, the former chief executive of Vote Leave, and pro-Brexit Tory donor Jon Moynihan to sit in the House of Lords.
The Guardian reveals that this year is no different. They say that Rishi Sunak is facing accusations of cronyism after at least seven Conservative donors were given honours in the new year list of awards, including knighthoods for the taxi firm founder John Griffin and the Wetherspoon’s boss Tim Martin:
Griffin, the founder of Addison Lee, has given £3m to the Conservatives and is knighted for services to industry and charity. Martin, who donated £400,000 to the Vote Leave campaign and £50,000 to the Tories in the 2019 election, is knighted for services to hospitality and culture. More recently, Martin has given £25,000 to Nigel Farage’s Reform party.
Other donors to get awards include Ron Dennis, the former McClaren boss, who has given £300,000 to the Tories and is knighted for services to industry and charity, and William Salomon, a financier who has donated £800,000 and gets an OBE for his education charity work.
Sunak had promised to bring ethics and integrity back to politics after the Boris Johnson era, and his political opponents questioned why honours had been given to party donors.
Griffin, who has also given £12m to a medical research institute, told the Guardian that he had never sought an honour for his political contribution and that politics was “not really my bag”.
He last donated in 2019 and said he would not be giving any more money before the next election despite being “pleased to be a Conservative”. He said: “I feel now that I’ve done what I’ve done. I may make the odd contribution but nothing really exceptional. They’ve got to fight it out between them.”
On his honour, he added: “I started a company and I was a minicab driver myself and I thought I could do a better job. I had a good training regime and no driver was found guilty of any serious offence during my stewardship. I was proud of that and I felt that overall I deserve some recognition if anybody did.”
And then there is the case of Liz Truss's resignation honours. As the Independent reports, Truss, who lasted just 49 days, the shortest reign by any Prime Minister, gave out an honour for every 4.5 days she served, doling out peerages to the men who played key roles in masterminding Britain’s exit from the European Union.
Remembered mostly for having decimated the UK economy, Truss nominated Matthew Elliott, the former chief executive of Vote Leave, and pro-Brexit Tory donor Jon Moynihan to sit in the House of Lords.
Elliott helped found the TaxPayers’ Alliance, a small-state think tank committed to low taxes, and also founded the Conservative Friends of Russia group, while Moynihan donated £20,000 to Truss’s leadership campaign in 2021 and is the former chair of Vote Leave. Ruth Porter, her former deputy chief of staff at No 10, is also on the list for a peerage.
As well as the three peerages, Truss nominated eight people to receive honours including MBEs, OBEs and knighthoods. It is little wonder that people are calling for the system to be reformed.
As well as the three peerages, Truss nominated eight people to receive honours including MBEs, OBEs and knighthoods. It is little wonder that people are calling for the system to be reformed.
