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
Diversity and Outreach Committee
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

The Cabinet Secretary Dame Antonia Romeo DCB
Dame Sarah Healey DCB CVO
Chair of Arts and Media Committee: Vacant
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 Rt Hon. the Baroness Winterton of Doncaster DBE
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

Vacant

Independent members:

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
Dr Jo Twist OBE – CEO, BPI
Lisa Opie – Managing Director, Ubisoft Reflections; Chair, ScreenSkills; Chair, Together TV
Kate Mosse CBE FRSL – Author, Arts Campaigner and Founder, Women’s Prize for Fiction and Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction
2 x vacancies

Official members:

Susannah Storey – Permanent Secretary, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Joe Griffin – Permanent Secretary, Scottish Government

Community and Voluntary Services Committee

Independent chair

The Rt Hon Nick Hurd

Independent members:

Daryl Brown MBE DL – Chief Executive, Magpas Air Ambulance
Melanie Bryan OBE DL – Founder, WhyNotChange
Dr Wakkas Khan MBE DL – Founder, Young Interfaith; Member, Lancashire Cricket Foundation Inclusion Advisory Board; Former Chair, Prince’s Trust Mosaic North West; Former Trustee, Oxfam GB
Eddie Lynch MBE – Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Group Chair, Abri; Board Member, London Travelwatch; Misconduct Hearings Independent Panel Member, Thames Valley Police
Ruth Shaw OBE – Independent Consultant, Affleck & Co
Michelle Mitchell OBE – Chief Executive, Cancer Research UK
Jane MacLeod LL – Solicitor; Chair, Developing Young Workforce Argyll; Secretary and Treasurer, Mid Argyll Chamber of Commerce
Dr Stefan Fafinski DL – Independent Chair, Parole Board for England and Wales; Chair, Prior’s Court Foundation; Chair, The Inside Out Trust

Official members:

Susannah Storey – Permanent Secretary, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Will Garton – Director General, 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:

Dr Gerard Lyons – Chief Economic Strategist, Netwealth
Peter Harrison, Chair Morgan Sindall plc, NED at Lazard Inc and Chair Business in the Community
Dame Julia Hoggett DBE – CEO, London Stock Exchange
Steven Cooper CBE – CEO, Aldermore Group; Chair, Experian UK

Official members:

Amanda Brooks CBE – Interim Permanent Secretary, Department for Business and Trade
Clive Maxwell, Interim Perm Secretary, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
Joe Griffin – 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

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:

Dr Henrietta Hughes OBE – lately National Guardian for the NHS
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)
Samantha Jones OBE – 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 Rt Hon. the Baroness Winterton of Doncaster DBE

Independent members:

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 Jonathan Reynolds MP – Government Chief Whip
Dame Rebecca Harris MP – Opposition Chief Whip
Wendy Chamberlain – Liberal Democrat 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
Simon Ridley, Second Permanent Secretary, Home Office
Dr Andrew Goodall CBE – Permanent Secretary, Welsh Government
Will Garton – Director General, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Dr Jo Farrar CB OBE – Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice

Science, Technology and Research

Independent chair

Stephen Kelly – Chair, Tech Nation

Independent members:

Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser DBE – CEO, UK Research and Innovation
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 for Research, Durham University
Professor Dame 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
Emran Mian – 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:

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 Antonia Romeo DCB – Cabinet Secretary
Dame Sarah Healey DCB CVO, Permanent Secretary, Department, Department for Work and Pensions

Diversity and Outreach Committee

The Committee will assist the committee process in delivering an honours system which is representative of UK society through a programme of policy improvements and interventions; targeted regional and sectoral outreach and publicity of the honours system; and advice to both the independent committees and Government departments.

The Committee will meet at least four times a year.

Independent Chair

Moni Mannings OBE – Senior Independent Director and Committee Member (Remuneration and Nomination), The Co-operative Group Limited and Land Securities PLC (Independent Chair)

Independent members

Lisa Opie – Managing Director, Ubisoft Reflections; Chair, ScreenSkills; Chair, Together TV (Arts and Media Committee)
Eddie Lynch MBE – Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Group Chair, Abri; Board Member, London Travelwatch; Misconduct Hearings Independent Panel Member, Thames Valley Police (Community and Voluntary Service Committee)
Dame Julia Hoggett DBE – CEO, London Stock Exchange (Economy Committee)
Clive Lawrence OBE (Education Committee)
Wol Kolade – Managing Partner of Livingbridge, lately Deputy Chair of NHS England and lately Chair of the Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation (Health and Social Care Committee)
Craig Stephenson OBE – Trustee, Public Appointee and formerly Director at Welsh Parliament (Parliamentary and Political Service Committee)
Caroline Underwood OBE – Founder and CEO, Philanthropy Company (Public Service Committee)
Professor Nola Hewitt-Dundas – Professor of Innovation Management and Policy and Pro Vice-Chancellor, Queen’s University Belfast (Science, Technology and Research Committee)
Jennie Price CBE – Former CEO of Sport England, Chair, International Tennis Integrity Agency (Sport Committee)
Pavita Cooper – Portfolio Non-Executive Director and Chair, 30% Club UK (State Committee)

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, Andy Burnham has set out his priorities below.

The Prime Minister would like the Honours system to recognise individuals and groups who are helping to restore hope in the UK, shape the future of their local communities and make the country better. The Prime Minister asks for this to be reflected in the Honours system by:

Recognising those who go above and beyond to deliver on the government’s ambition to renew the country.
Recognising excellence exists in every postcode of the United Kingdom.
Celebrating volunteers and unsung community champions whose service instils pride and hope in our local areas.

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:

Dame Sarah Healey DCB CVO
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.