New Year honour for Australian election strategist once referred to as a rottweiler is outrageous, says Labour

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

The government has been accused of turning the honours system into an “old boy’s club” after Lynton Crosby, the political strategist who ran the Conservatives’ 2015 election campaign, was awarded a knighthood.

New Year's honours 2016: the full list Read more

The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, said the well-trailed decision to knight Crosby was “not the best use of the system”.



“The main thing he is known for is introducing the concept of aggressive negative campaigning, or as Boris Johnson described it: ‘the dead cat strategy’ [which involves distracting the public from a politically difficult issue by creating shocking news]. Hardly worthy of honouring in this way if at all,” said McDonnell.

He said Crosby’s knighthood would make the public think the titles perpetuate “an old boy’s club”.

Honours for 1,196 people were announced in the New Year list, including a damehood each for actors Siân Phillips and Barbara Windsor, and a knighthood for champion jockey Tony McCoy.

Australian Crosby, the political strategist credited with engineering David Cameron’s majority in May’s general election, has been enlisted to advise conservative parties in Australia, the UK and Canada on election planning.



His uncompromising tactics have appalled some of his opponents, with former Liberal Democrat business secretary Vince Cable once referring to him as “an Australian rottweiler”.

His is not the only political honour on the list, which also includes a CBE for Mark McInnes, the director of the Scottish Conservatives.

The government is also likely to come in for criticism for awarding a damehood to Lin Homer, the chief executive of HMRC and formerly the first chief executive of the UK Border Agency. Commons select committees have criticised Homer’s performance in both roles.

Andy Burnham, Labour’s shadow home secretary, described the news of Crosby’s honour as “outrageous” and said it was “the clearest evidence yet that the Tories think they can get away with whatever they like”.

Tommy Sheppard, Scottish National party MP for Edinburgh East, said it was “getting a reward for services to the Tory party rather than services to the country”.

Norman Lamb, Liberal Democrat MP for North Norfolk, said there were many people who did “amazing things for their communities” who were nominated and rejected each year. “Then someone like Lynton Crosby comes along and gets a knighthood,” Lamb said. “What does it mean to get an honour any more if that’s how you end up getting one?”

Helen Goodman, Labour MP for Bishop Auckland, said that “quite apart from his dubious role in the 2015 election”, Crosby should have be ruled out because of his close links to the tobacco industry. “But it’s all of a piece with the PM’s attempt to pack the House of Lords with his cronies,” she added.

One Labour source said that the party was in a weak place to criticise the award because Spencer Livermore, who ran Ed Miliband’s election campaign, received a peerage in the dissolution honours list. A Liberal Democrat source also said it would be “churlish” to complain, as there were people from all parties on the list.

Crosby’s knighthood follows honours for many of those central to previous election campaigns, including Tim Bell, who worked on three of Margaret Thatcher’s successful general election campaigns, Maurice Saatchi, whose advertising agency created some of the most famous Conservative election posters, and Philip Gould and Peter Mandelson, who worked on a string of Labour election campaigns.

Sir Jonathan Stephens, head of the honours committee, said nominations were scrutinised for whether they might bring the honours system into disrepute, including scrutiny of financial and tax affairs.

The Conservative MP for North West Norfolk, Henry Campbell Bellingham, will receive a knighthood and the Labour chief whip, Rosie Winterton MP, receives a damehood. Former Lib Dem MP Ed Davey, who was energy secretary under the coalition government, is knighted.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sir Roy Strong, historian and curator. Photograph: Rex Features

Among other honours, the historian and curator Sir Roy Strong is made a companion of honour, the top accolade, for services to culture.

Three new recipients of the Order of Merit, the personal gift of the Queen, are announced. Lord Darzi, one of the world’s leading surgeons, Prof Dame Ann Dowling, a mechanical engineer who researches combustion and acoustics, and Sir James Dyson, an industrial designer, all join this exclusive club limited to 24 members at any time.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sir James Dyson at his Wiltshire office. Photograph: Adrian Sherratt/Rex Features

Holywood star Idris Elba receives an OBE. He said: “Awards and honours come in all shapes and sizes and all as significant as each other but this is beyond special as it comes from Queen and country and I couldn’t be more proud.”



Imelda Staunton is made a CBE while her fellow actors David Oyelowo and James Nesbitt get OBEs.

Former motorsports star John Surtees and footballers Denis Law and Francis Leereceive CBEs. Two times Tour de France winner Chris Froome and snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan get OBEs. Sports commentator Sue Barker receives an OBE, while sports broadcaster Jacqui Oatley is awarded an MBE.



Music industry awards include an MBE for DJ Goldie, real name Clifford Price, and an OBE to Damon Albarn, the Blur frontman.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Easyjet CEO Carolyn McCall has been made a dame. Photograph: Eddie Keogh/Reuters

EasyJet boss Carolyn McCall and Net-A-Porter’s Natalie Massenet, are both made dames in a list which saw 38% of the highest awards – CBE and above – awarded to women, a significant increase on the 31% in the birthday honours. McCall said it was a “real honour” while Massenet was “thrilled and completely overwhelmed”.



Choreographer Matthew Bourne, who is knighted, said it was a “great surprise” and he was “particularly proud to be, I believe, the first dance knight outside of the national ballet companies”. Other arts honours include sculptor Phyllida Barlow, known for her large installation pieces, who is made a CBE.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest George Batts, former national secretary of the Normandy Veterans’ Association. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/Press Association

D-day veteran George Batts, 90, from the now disbanded Normandy Veterans’ Association, was “absolutely delighted” with his MBE. Falklands veteran Simon Weston, the Welsh guardsman who suffered horrific injuries, is made a CBE for tireless charity work over 33 years. “I still have to pinch myself. I am just a boy from a coal mining village in the valleys,” he said.

Dr Michael Jacobs, of the Royal Free hospital in London, who led the team successfully treating British Ebola victims who had contracted the deadly disease while volunteering in Sierra Leone, is made a knight. He said it “truly was a team effort and I can’t praise too highly my exceptional, dedicated and skilful colleagues at the Royal Free”.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jonjo Heuerman, who has received the British Empire Medal. Photograph: Cancer Research UK/PA

The youngest recipient is 13-year-old Jonjo Heuerman, from Dartford, Kent, awarded the British Empire medal for raising more than £200,000 for the Bobby Moore fund for cancer research. He said he was very proud and surprised. “I didn’t even know what a British Empire medal was,” he said.

Veteran news broadcaster Martyn Lewis, 71, a prolific charity campaigner, dedicated his knighthood to the “thousands of inspirational people in the voluntary sector”.

More than three-quarters of awards recognise outstanding work in local communities. Just under half (48%) of people recognised are women, while one in 20 (5.7%) come from ethnic minority communities, and 7.5% consider themselves to have a disability.



Other top accolades for women include damehoods for Judith Hackitt, chairwoman of the Health and Safety Executive, Glenys Stacey, chief executive of exam regulator Ofqual and Heather Rabbatts, non-executive director of the Football Association.

