Excellence not Empire #renamehonours

A few weeks ago I was in a race equity peer training session led by the very brilliant Tessy Ojo. As we talked and listened I was reminded of the dilemma I faced when invited to accept an OBE. I want NOTHING at all to do with the Empire, yet I DO want the work of my organisation and the people who worked tirelessly for young people's sexual rights to be recognised. 

Poppy Jaman and Polly Neate both honoured by the system were in the same session. We talked afterwards. All three of us had decided to accept an honour despite our absolute rejection of our colonial past. We want a clean break from the past. We want all links between the British Honours System and colonialism to be broken because we really value the high level recognition of the social justice work of our organisations and ourselves.

The letter reproduced below was published in the Times on 30th July 2020. We are now inviting anyone who works in the civil society and public sector who has received an honour to add their name to the list. We want to can continue the conversation and ultimately make sure we achieve our goal: a simple and very important switch from Empire to Excellence. 

As Lisa Power said 'if there must be gongs let them be for Excellence not Empire'.  

If you add your name along with the honour you received in the messages section, we will continue to build a list of those who want the change, and then think about what our next steps are. 

Thanks and very best wishes, Simon, Poppy and Polly

To the Letters Editor, The Times

Re: the British Honours System

We are leaders in civil society and the public sector who have been bestowed an honour as part of the British Honours System.

We are deeply grateful for the recognition of our own work and that of the organisations we represent, and the public validation it gives to the struggle for social justice that we and our organisations have been engaged in, often for decades.

We also believe that our struggle for social justice must recognise the need for the United Kingdom to break from its colonial past and strive for a society that makes efforts to include everyone on equal terms at all levels. This means we are taking a long, hard look at our own organisations and what more we can do to create a fair, equitable and anti-racist society.

As those who are privileged to have been honoured, we invite the government – in consultation with Her Majesty the Queen – to commit to a simple, yet extremely important change in title, so that honours are conferred in the name of British Excellence and not of the British Empire.


  1. Lord Victor Abedowale CBE
  2. Rhammel Afflick BEM
  3. Dame Elizabeth N Anionwu DBE
  4. Cathy Ashley OBE
  5. Janet Atherton OBE
  6. Carl Austin-Behan OBE DL
  7. Anna Rose Barker MBE
  8. Francine Bates OBE
  9. Jonny Benjamin MBE
  10. Rob Berkeley MBE
  11. Simon Blake OBE
  12. Simon Blanchflower CBE
  13. Caron Bradshaw OBE
  14. Philipa Bragman OBE
  15. Christine Burns MBE
  16. Gary Buxton MBE
  17. Yvonne Veronica Coghill CBE
  18. Jonathan Cohen OBE
  19. Rachel Coldicutt OBE
  20. Duncan Craig OBE
  21. Natasha Devon MBE
  22. Catherine Diehl MBE
  23. Ian Duckmanton OBE
  24. Claire Dove CBE 
  25. Jonathan Drew MBE
  26. Matt Downie MBE
  27. Jacqui Dyer OBE
  28. David Evans OBE
  29. David Fielding MBE
  30. Lucy Findlay MBE
  31. Tracy Fishwick OBE
  32. Arvinda Gohil OBE
  33. Bob Green OBE
  34. Suzanne Jacob OBE
  35. Stephen Hale OBE
  36. Vivienne Hayes MBE
  37. Charlotte Hill OBE
  38. Jo Hobbs 
  39. Peter Holbrook CBE
  40. Norma Hornby MBE
  41. Jane Ide OBE
  42. Fozia Irfan OBE
  43. Poppy Jaman OBE
  44. Davina James-Hannah OBE
  45. Reverend Graham Kirk Spriggs
  46. Paul Martin OBE
  47. John May OBE
  48. Neil McDonald MBE
  49. Catherine McLeod MBE
  50. Ian McPherson OBE
  51. Monty Montcrieff MBE
  52. Polly Neate CBE
  53. Michael O' Connor CBE
  54. Ndidi Okezi OBE 
  55. Sir Nick Partridge OBE
  56. Debbie Pennington MBE
  57. Lisa Pinney MBE
  58. Lisa Power OBE
  59. Katherine Rake OBE
  60. Susanne Rauprich OBE
  61. Paul Roberts OBE
  62. David Robinson OBE
  63. Lisa Rodrigues CBE
  64. Laura Maria Serrant OBE
  65. Tim Sigworth MBE
  66. Jasvir Singh OBE
  67. Parim Singh MBE
  68. Penelope Thompson CBE
  69. Sue Tibballs OBE
  70. Hugh Thornbery CBE
  71. Cath Tomlin MBE
  72. Rosie Tressler OBE
  73. Miranda Wolpert MBE
  74. Sharon White OBE
  75. Ed Whiting OBE
  76. Steve Wyler OBE


Comments

  1. You're absolutely right, recognition not obedience Damian Clancy

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, please, count me in too.
    David Evans OBE

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes from me - Suzanne Jacob OBE

    ReplyDelete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rosie Tressler OBE

      (tried to connect to a personal account and failed Simon!)

      Delete
  5. Do add me ! Charlotte Hill OBE

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have long felt the continued use of "empire" is misplaced & no longer relevant. It MUST be changed.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'd love to see this changed and 'Empire' replaced. Caron Bradshaw OBE

    ReplyDelete
  8. When I told my Mother about my CBE she said my Father would turn in his grave! Add my name to this campaign. Mike O'Connor

    ReplyDelete
  9. Jane Ide OBE

    Delighted that the first time I’ve written that out in full is here!

    ReplyDelete

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