Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Nominations for Honours: Scrutiny

Thursday 25 April 2024 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial processes include validation and probity checks to assess nominations for honours.
  • The Prime Minister cited business success and philanthropy as reasons for Mohamed Mansour's nomination.
  • The Prime Minister referred Tan Dhesi to a previous response regarding the honours system's integrity.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Tan Dhesi Lab Slough
Standards & Ethics
Context

Tan Dhesi questioned the adequacy of processes for scrutinising honours nominations, referencing concerns about recent announcements and integrity.

Question

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of his Department's processes for scrutinising nominations for honours. Many described recent honours as lacking integrity and bringing disrepute to the system, including a donor who donated £5 million to the Conservative party and four loyal Conservative MPs.

Answer from Alex Burghart

It looks like the Member who tabled No. 10 is not out of bed. A validation process is carried out to assess the strength and credibility of each nomination. We protect the integrity of the honours system by carrying out probity checks with a number of Government Departments before the Prime Minister submits names to His Majesty the King for approval.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specifics about recent announcements that were questioned and their integrity are not addressed in detail.

How: It Looks Like The Member Who Tabled No. 10 Is Not Out Of Bed.

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Q2 Ruth Cadbury Lab Brentford and Isleworth
Culture, Media & Sport Standards & Ethics
Context

Ruth Cadbury questioned the Prime Minister's decision to include Mohamed Mansour in the recent honours list, while excluding Alan Bates who campaigned for victims of the Chernobyl disaster.

Question

The Prime Minister previously backed calls for Horizon victim and campaigner Alan Bates to receive an honour, yet his name was absent from the Prime Minister's surprise honours list last month. However, Russia-linked Mohamed Mansour's name was on that list. What was it about the multi-millionaire, generous Conservative party donor that attracted the Prime Minister to the idea of giving him a knighthood?

Answer from Alex Burghart

The gentleman whose name has just been mentioned is a very successful businessman and philanthropist, and I am sure those qualities were very much in the Prime Minister's mind when he was put forward for an honour. Extremely distinguished names from the world of artificial intelligence and the creative industries were also recognised for their contribution to our country.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific reasons for excluding Alan Bates are not provided, only a general statement about Mansour's qualities.

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Q3 Tan Dhesi Lab Slough
Standards & Ethics
Context

Tan Dhesi inquired about the justification for the Prime Minister announcing a round of honours outside traditional lists, amid concerns over integrity and timing.

Question

The Prime Minister recently announced an extraordinary round of honours, which many described as lacking integrity and bringing the system into disrepute. It included a donor who had donated £5 million to the Conservative party, and four Conservative MPs loyal to the Prime Minister. In the run-up to a general election that he is widely tipped to lose, what could possibly be the justification for the Prime Minister announcing and recommending a round of honours outside of the traditional King's birthday list?

Answer from Alex Burghart

I thank the hon. Member for Slough for turning up. I refer him to the answer I gave a few moments ago.

Not addressed: The question on timing and integrity is not addressed, only a reference to previous answers which did not fully address these issues.

How: I Thank The Hon. Member For Slough For Turning Up., I Refer Him To The Answer I Gave A Few Moments Ago.

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