Post Office campaigner Alan Bates knighted in king’s birthday honours | King’s birthday honours list
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Postal campaigner Alan Bates has been knighted in the King’s Birthday Honors in recognition of his role in uncovering the Horizon IT scandal, one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history.
The former postal operator and founder of the Justice for Sub-postmasters Alliance said he was accepting the honor “on behalf of the group” of branch operators and the “horrible things that have happened to them”.
Between 1999 and 2015, more than 700 post office managers were wrongly convicted after faulty Horizon accounting software made it appear that money was missing from their posts.
Bates’ tireless campaigning, highlighted in the ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office, led to hundreds of convictions being overturned en masse.
In response to the honor, Bates said he hoped it would be “another string to my bow to help me move forward and achieve some finality for people.”
Other honorees include artist-turned-lady Tracey Emin and political satirist Armando Iannucci, who receives a CBE. Actress Imelda Staunton also became a dame, and cyclist Mark Cavendish was knighted.
The former Labor Prime Minister Gordon Brown received the highest distinction of Companion of Honor for his public service.
Bates, from Llandudno, North Wales, had previously declined the OBE, while former Post Office boss Paula Vennells still held the CBE. She agreed to give it up after a public outcry after the TV drama aired.
Bates said he learned of his knighthood while watching Vennells in the Post Office investigation. He said it “came out of the blue.”
The campaign has been “hard work for many years”, he said. Of the award, he said: “I know I’m the recipient of it and everything, but it’s also on behalf of the band – and recognition of the terrible things that have happened to them and the story isn’t over yet.”
Iannucci, whose many credits include the hugely successful Westminster sitcom The Thick of It, said he was proud to work in the British TV and film industry. “It’s the best thing in the world, but it’s strange that I’m spending more and more of my energy defending our public broadcaster from attacks on its independence and funding. I will take this award as a sign to move forward,” he said.
Membership in the Order of Honorary Companions is limited to 65 people. Brown said: “I feel slightly embarrassed as the opportunity to serve is an honor in itself and my preference has always been to recognize all these brilliant, unsung local heroes who quietly and selflessly give their time to contribute to the vibrancy of our communities. “
Dame Jenny Abramsky, former Head of BBC Audio and Music, has been made a Dame Grand Cross. Retired judge Terence Etherton, a former roll master and chairman of the veterans’ independent review into the impact of the pre-2000 ban on homosexuality in the armed forces, has been made a Knight Grand Cross for services to LGBT veterans.
Etherton, who is also alive, said: “The awarding of my honor reflects the importance the Government places on this review, which highlights all that this group of veterans has endured.”
dr Niall Fergusonthe historian and author, who was knighted, said he had “sought to reach as wide an audience as possible, for history is too civic an undertaking to be confined to ivory towers”.
In sport, former cyclist Chris Boardman and ex-Liverpool midfielder Graham Souness were made CBEs, while former England footballer Karen Carney was made an OBE, as was former England cricketer Catherine Siver-Brunt.
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Golfer Sandy Lyle and ex-footballer turned TV pundit Ali McCoist become OBEs. Doris ‘Anita’ Neill, Britain’s first black Olympian when she competed in 1968, received an MBE for services to athletics. Another golfer, Stephen Gallagher, also received an MBE.
Fashion accessory designer Anya Hindmarch has become a lady. There is an OBE for Lulu Lytle, the interior designer famous for working for Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie to decorate their Downing Street home.
Olivier-winning actor Alex Jennings, who appeared in the Netflix series The Crown, becomes a CBE. Actor Shobna Gulati of Coronation Street and Dinner Ladies fame becomes an MBE.
Duran Duran singer Simon Le Bon said he was “beyond thrilled and surprised” by his MBE, which he hopes will raise awareness of the charities he has campaigned for, including the Blue Marine Foundation and Centrepoint.
Singer Rebecca Ferguson receives an MBE, as does Boney M star Liz Mitchell, who said it “felt like a message from above” as her late father, Norman Mitchell, part of the Windrush generation, was “so proud” to become an MBE in 2014 for his charity work.
Strictly Come Dancing’s Amy Dowden, diagnosed with Crohn’s disease aged 19, said her MBE was “beyond my wildest dreams”. “I accept it on behalf of everyone living with Crohn’s disease and will continue to campaign for awareness and research into this terrible chronic disease,” she said.
Apart from the Downing Street awards, the King can bestow honors on the Royal Family and has paid tribute to his top medical team who are leading his cancer treatment. Dr Michael Dixon, head of the Royal Infirmary and advocate of complementary therapies alongside conventional medicine, becomes a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO). Charles’ personal physician, Dr. Fiona Butler, also known as the King’s Apothecary, became a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO). There’s an LVO for Michael Dooley for his role as Camilla’s doctor.
Meanwhile, representatives of two financial investment firms were honored for their personal services to the late Queen Elizabeth II. Nicholas Osler, partner in private client tax services at Smith and Williamson, becomes LVO, as does Richard Fitzalan Howard, senior adviser at Stonehage Fleming Investment Management.
Of the 1,077 people honored in the 2024 list, 509 are women – 48% of the total – and 10% of all successful applicants are from a minority ethnic background. At CBE level and above, 40% of recipients are women.
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