Governance

Find out how the honours system operates, from the independent committees to the role that the Prime Minister plays.

On this page:

Independent Committees
Main Committee
Arts and Media
Community and Voluntary Services Committee
The Economy
Education
Health
Parliamentary and Political Service
Public Service
Science and Technology
Sport
State
Role of the Prime Minister
Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals (HD Committee)
Advisory Military Sub-Committee

Independent Committees

Honours are recommended by panels of independent experts. There are ten honours committees, and they are made up of independent people who are foremost in their respective fields.

Each honours committee has an independent chairperson and has a majority of members who are also independent. These independent committee members are appointed following an open and fair appointments process and although it is very similar to the public appointments process, they are not public appointees.

Senior civil servants also attend honours committees and are referred to as official members. A representative from 10 Downing Street is also invited to attend all committee meetings.

Twice a year, the honours committees meet to review nominations for people involved in specific activities and then send their recommendations to the Main Honours Committee. This Committee is made up of the chairpeople of all ten honours committees as well as an official chairperson who is appointed by the Cabinet Secretary.

The Main Honours Committee agrees on a final list of recommendations which goes to the Prime Minister and then to The King, who awards the honour.

Main Committee

Members

Dame Tamara Finklestein DCB
The Cabinet Secretary
Chair of Arts and Media Committee: John Booth
Chair of Community and Voluntary Services Committee: The Rt Hon Nick Hurd
Chair of Economy Committee: Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia DBE CVO FRSE
Chair of Education Committee: Sir Hamid Patel CBE
Chair of Health and Social Care Committee: Dame Jane Dacre DBE
Chair of Parliamentary and Political Service Committee: The Lord Sherbourne of Didsbury CBE
Chair of Public Service Committee: Harris Bokhari OBE
Chair of Science, Technology and Research Committee: Stephen Kelly
Chair of Sport Committee: Sir Ron Kalifa OBE
Chair of State Committee: The Rt Hon Dame Anne Rafferty DBE
The Permanent Under Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
The Chief of the Defence Staff

Arts and Media

Independent chair

John Booth – Chair, National Gallery and Prince’s Trust (Independent Chair)

Independent members:

Sir Peter Bazalgette – Chair, ITV
YolanDa Brown OBE DL – Saxophonist, Broadcaster and Chair of BPI
Ben Evans CBE – Director of the London Design Festival and Executive Director of London Design Biennale
Sir Richard Mantle OBE DL – Cultural administrator, Chair of The Grange Festival, Chair of In Peace or War and former General Director of Opera North
George Saumarez Smith – Director of ADAM Architecture
Samir Shah CBE – Chair, BBC
3 x vacancies

Official members:

Susannah Storey – Permanent Secretary, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
John-Paul Marks CB – Permanent Secretary, Scottish Government

Community and Voluntary Services Committee

Independent chair

The Rt Hon Nick Hurd

Independent members:

Rabbi Dr Harvey Belovski – Emeritus Rabbi, Golders Green Synagogue; Chief Strategist and Rabbinic Head, University Jewish Chaplaincy
Carly Jones MBE – Autism Advocate
Adeeba Malik CBE – Deputy Chief Executive, QED UK
2 x Vacancies

Official members:

Susannah Storey – Permanent Secretary, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Sarah Healey CB CVO – Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Dr Andrew Goodall CBE – Permanent Secretary, Welsh Government

The Economy

Independent chair

Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia DBE CVO FRSE – Chair, Snoop

Independent members:

Dame Vivian Hunt DBE – Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company
Dr Gerard Lyons – Chief Economic Strategist, Netwealth
Peter Harrison, Group Chief Executive of Schroders plc
Moni Mannings OBE – Senior Independent Director and Committee Member (Remuneration and Nomination), The Co-operative Group Limited and Land Securities PLC
Dame Julia Hoggett DBE – CEO, London Stock Exchange
Steven Cooper CBE – CEO, Aldermore Group; Chair, Experian UK

Official members:

Gareth Davies CB – Permanent Secretary, Department for Business and Trade
Jeremy Pocklington CB – Permanent Secretary, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
John-Paul Marks CB – Permanent Secretary, Scottish Government
James Bowler CB – Permanent Secretary, HM Treasury

Education

Independent chair

Sir Hamid Patel CBE – Chief Executive, Star Academies

Independent members:

Dame Sally Coates DBE – Director of Secondary Education, United Learning
Dame Sally Dicketts DBE – President, Association of Colleges
Sir Martyn Oliver, HM Chief Inspector of Education
Dame Nicola Dandridge DBE
Dame Janet Beer DBE
Clive Lawrence OBE – Chief Education Officer at Esteem Multi-Academy Trust

Official member:

Jayne Brady MBE – Head of Northern Ireland Civil Service
Susan Acland-Hood – Permanent Secretary, Department for Education

Health and Social Care

Independent chair

Professor Dame Jane Dacre DBE – Professor of Medical Education, University College London and President, Medical Protection Society

Independent members:

Sir David Behan CBE – Chair, Health Education England
Dr Henrietta Hughes OBE – lately National Guardian for the NHS
The Baroness Harding of Winscombe – Chair of NHS Improvement
Professor Iqbal Singh CBE – Chair, Centre of Excellence and Safety for Older People
Dame Til Wykes DBE – Professor of Clinical Psychology and Rehabilitation, King’s College London
Dame Ruth Beverley DBE – Lately Chief Nursing Officer for England
Dame Laura Lee DBE – Chief Executive, Maggie’s
Sir David Pearson – Lately President of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services
Wol Kolade – Managing Partner of Livingbridge, lately Deputy Chair of NHS England and lately Chair of the Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation

Official members:

Professor Sir Chris Whitty KCB – Chief Medical Officer (England)
Tom Riordan CBE – Second Permanent Secretary, Department of Health and Social Care
Judith Paget CBE – Director General, Department for Health, Social Services and Children, Welsh Government

Parliamentary and Political Service

Independent chair

The Lord Sherbourne of Didsbury CBE – Member, House of Lords

Independent members:

Dr Sue Griffiths – Managing Director, Social Development Direct
Dame Denise Platt DBE – lately Member, General Medical Council and Solicitors Regulation Authority
Lord McNicol of West Kilbride
The Lord Oates
Professor Stephanie Rickard – Professor of Political Science, London School of Economics
Craig Stephenson OBE – Trustee, Public Appointee and formerly Director at Welsh Parliament.

Official members:

The Rt Hon Sir Alan Campbell MP – Government Chief Whip
Dame Rebecca Harris MP – Opposition Chief Whip

Public Service

Independent chair

Harris Bokhari OBE

Independent members:

Tariq Shah OBE – CEO, Vigo Group
Sir David Thompson QPM DL – Former Chief Constable, West Midlands Police
The Rt. Hon. Lord Young of Old Windsor GCB, GCVO – Independent senior corporate adviser; House of Lords Finance Select Committee; former Principal Private Secretary to the Sovereign
Caroline Underwood OBE – Founder and CEO, Philanthropy Company

Official members:

Susan Acland-Hood – Permanent Secretary, Department for Education
Sir Matthew Rycroft KCMG CBE – Permanent Secretary, Home Office
Sarah Healey CB – CVO – Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Dame Antonia Romeo – Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice
Dr Andrew Goodall CBE – Permanent Secretary, Welsh Government

Science, Technology and Research

Independent chair

Stephen Kelly – Chair, Tech Nation

Independent members:

Professor Sir Keith Burnett, CBE, FRS – Chair, Nuffield Foundation and Chair of the Academic Council, Schmidt Science Fellowship, University of Oxford.
Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser DBE – CEO, UK Research and Innovation
Professor Lionel Tarassenko CBE FREng – President, Reuben College, University of Oxford
Professor Dame Muffy Calder DBE FRSE FREng – University of Glasgow
Stian Westlake – Executive Chair, Economic and Social Research Council
Professor Sarah Hainsworth OBE FREng – Pro-Vice Chancellor, University of Bath
Professor Julia Black CBE – Warden, Nuffield College and Professor of Law and Regulation, University of Oxford
Professor Nola Hewitt-Dundas – Professor of Innovation Management and Policy and Pro Vice-Chancellor, Queen’s University Belfast

Official members:

Professor Dame Angela McLean DBE FRS – Chief Scientific Adviser to HM Government and Head, Government Office for Science
Sarah Munby – Permanent Secretary, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Professor Jas Pal Badyal FRS – Chief Scientific Advisor for Wales

Sport

Independent chair

Sir Ron Kalifa OBE

Independent members:

Susan Barker CBE – Former television presenter and professional tennis player
Anthony Hamilton – British racing car manager
Elena Narozanski – Board member, Football Foundation and Sport England
Jennie Price CBE – Former CEO of Sport England, Chair, International Tennis Integrity Agency
Robert Sullivan – CEO, Football Foundation

Official members:

Susannah Storey – Permanent Secretary, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Jayne Brady MBE – Head of Northern Ireland Civil Service

State

Independent chair

The Rt Hon Dame Anne Rafferty DBE

Independent members:

Isabel Doverty MA, M.Sc, MCIPD – Civil Service Commissioner
Jenny Rowe CB – Former CEO, Supreme Court
Pavita Cooper – Portfolio Non-Executive Director and Chair, 30% Club UK
Martyn Roper – Former Diplomat, lately Governor of the Cayman Islands
Tony Poulter – Non-Executive Board member, Department for Transport Board; Civil Service Commissioner; Other NED roles
Margaret Edwards OBE – Former Chair of the Civil Service Pension Board and Civil Service Commissioner.

Official members:

Dame Tamara Finkelstein DCB – Permanent Secretary, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Sir Chris Wormald KCB

Role of the Prime Minister

Prime Ministers set the strategic direction for each honours list. This means that they can provide a steer to people putting forward nominations and to the independent committee members about the type of recognition they would prefer to see on the honours list. Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer has set his strategic priorities for the honours system in 2024.

The Prime Minister would like to see the honours system be properly diverse and reflective of UK society. There should be representation from the length and breadth of the country and all sections of society, reflecting the incredible contributions made across every part of the United Kingdom. The honours system should also seek to reward individuals in all stages of life, young and old.

The Prime Minister would like to see more recipients from underrepresented communities and would like to see further variety in the types of work rewarded. Honours should not be automatic or assumed due to a job or position an individual holds, unless it can be demonstrated that there has been service above and beyond the call of duty.

Honours should be awarded based on merit, regardless of background, for those who give service above and beyond to better the lives of others.

The Prime Minister would like to see the honours system especially recognise:

Those working to kickstart economic growth, delivering economic stability, increasing productivity in every part of the country to make everyone better off.
Those working to deliver clean and renewable energy, helping fight climate change, and helping the UK accelerate to Net Zero.
Those working to prevent and address crime and anti-social behaviour, improving their local communities.
Those working to break down barriers to opportunity including: Educators working to increase standards in schools and giving children the best start in life; social enterprises, entrepreneurs and businesses that work to dismantle access barriers; and those working to increase access to arts, music and sport.
Health professionals working to improve the NHS, ensuring fewer lives lost to the biggest killers; and those working in mental health services.
Those providing an exceptional service to citizens, and setting the highest standards in public life, across the United Kingdom and overseas.

Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals (HD Committee)

The Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals (known as the HD Committee) is the policy-making body for the honours system.

The HD Committee gives advice directly to The Sovereign about possible changes to the honours system and military medals policy, including considering new awards. Its members are senior officials in the Civil Service and the Royal Household.

Membership of the HD Committee:

Sir Chris Wormald KCB
Principal Private Secretary to HM King
Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister
Permanent Under-Secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Permanent Secretary of the Home Office
Permanent Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Defence
Secretary of the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood

The HD Committee aims to meet two to three times per year.

Advisory Military Sub-Committee (AMSC)

The Advisory Military Sub-Committee (AMSC) considers claims for medallic recognition of past military service. It is a sub-committee of the HD Committee.