Scots 'bribed with gongs to vote no in referendum': British establishment accused of 'cynical bribery' after showering Scottish people with knighthoods and CBEs



Number of top honours handed to Scots has soared 40% in 18 months



Historically Scotland was under-represented - now it is over-represented

One MP, Paul Flynn, said it was being used to 'curry favour' north of border



'Currying favour': Paul Flynn MP accused the establishment of bribing the Scots

The British establishment was accused of ‘cynical bribery’ last night after it emerged Scots have been showered with honours in advance of the independence referendum.

The number of knighthoods, CBEs, OBEs and MBEs handed to Scottish people has soared by 40 per cent over the past 18 months as the vote approaches.

Historically, Scotland has been under-represented in the bi-annual awards, receiving fewer medals than would be expected for its population. But the dramatic increase has meant that in the last three sets of honours, Scotland has been strikingly over-represented.

Paul Flynn, an MP on the Commons public administration select committee, said the revelations further discredited the honours system by showing it was being used to ‘curry favour’ with the Scots.

Any indication that the system is being skewed towards the Scots to sway the referendum result will cause deep unease in Buckingham Palace.

The honours are handed out in the name of the Queen, who remains above the political fray. But the lists are drawn up by committees which include politicians and civil servants.

Scotland accounts for 8.6 per cent of the UK population. If awards were distributed according to population size, the same percentage of honours would go north of the border.

But an analysis by the Mail has found that in the Queen’s Birthday Honours earlier this month, 10.1 per cent of awards went to Scots – much higher than would be expected, and a dramatic increase from the 7.2 per cent going to Scots 18 months before in the 2013 New Year Honours.

The Queen has been careful to remain neutral ahead of the independence vote on September 18, and has reportedly refused requests by the ‘Better Together’ campaign to speak in favour of the Union, as she famously did in 1977.

Last night Mr Flynn said: ‘The honours system is being used as it has always been used – to curry favours.

‘It could well be that, consciously or unconsciously, attempts have been made to curry favour with Scots, but I am sure Scots are capable of having their own honours system if they want it. The whole system is degraded – it is at best arbitrary and at worst corrupt.’



The number of honours north of the border has soared, including MBEs (pictured)

Angus MacNeil, SNP MP for the Western Isles, said: ‘This 40 per cent increase in honours will be seen by many fair-minded people as a cynical bribe by Westminster politicians.’

Among the Scots to receive awards in this month’s Birthday Honours were Kath Maitland, chief executive of the Edinburgh Fringe, and entrepreneur Fraser Doherty who set up a jam business aged 14. Scottish historian Tom Devine received a knighthood, as did Ewan Brown, of trade body Scottish Financial Enterprise.

Around 1,200 honours are handed out twice a year – at New Year and on the Queen’s birthday.

Angus MacNeil: 'This 40 per cent increase will be seen by many people as a cynical bribe'

Until 2013, Scotland was always under-represented – a fact acknowledged by the Government in November 2012. It said: ‘Wales and Northern Ireland have done better than their population size would suggest in recent lists, while Scotland has been under-represented.’

At the 2013 New Year Honours, Scotland received 88 awards out of 1,223 – just 7.2 per cent. Yet by the Birthday Honours in June 2013, Scotland received 114 awards out of 1,180. Its rate had jumped to 9.6 per cent – well above what would be justified by its population share.

By the 2014 New Year Honours, Scotland was taking home 10.2 per cent of the awards – 121 out of 1,192. This fell marginally to 10.1 per cent in this month’s Birthday Honours – 116 out of 1,149.

A Cabinet Office spokesman said: ‘All nominations for honours are looked at individually and entirely on merit by independent committees.’

Edinburgh hoping to keep honours system

If Scotland does vote for independence on September 18, the Scottish National Party has promised that the honours system will be retained.

Alex Salmond’s party is keen to give the impression to voters that as little as possible will change if the country decides to secede.



Elizabeth II will remain as Queen of Scots – and continue to award honours. But details about how this might operate are sketchy to say the least.



At the moment, the devolved government in Scotland can put people forward for awards. These are then considered by officials in London.



After independence, London would be taken out of the picture and honours would be an entirely Edinburgh-based decision.



So it is likely that, rather than announcing a UK-wide list of honours as at the moment, Buckingham Palace would announce two sets – one for Scotland, and one for the rest of the UK.



However, the SNP is still yet to work out exactly what would happen to honours for Scottish people if the country opts for independence.

