Yahoo News Paula Vennells and other disgraced figures who've lost honours
As former Post Office boss Paula Vennells says she will hand back her CBE, who in the public eye have been stripped of their honours?
The former head of the Post Office has handed back her CBE after pressure mounted over her management of the Horizon scandal.
Paula Vennells was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2019 New Year Honours "for services to the Post Office and to charity".
On Tuesday, she said she would hand it back with immediate effect.
In a statement, Vennells said: “I have so far maintained my silence as I considered it inappropriate to comment publicly while the inquiry remains ongoing and before I have provided my oral evidence.
“I am, however, aware of the calls from sub-postmasters and others to return my CBE.
“I have listened and I confirm that I return my CBE with immediate effect.
“I am truly sorry for the devastation caused to the sub-postmasters and their families, whose lives were torn apart by being wrongly accused and wrongly prosecuted as a result of the Horizon system."
An online petition calling for Vennells to be stripped of her CBE passed 1.2m signatures on Tuesday morning.
On Monday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he would “strongly support” the Honours Forfeiture Committee if it decided to consider stripping Vennells of her honour.
Recommended reading
What happens next in the Post Office scandal? (Yahoo News UK)
Paula Vennells’s church compares Post Office TV drama to The Crown (The Telegraph)
Cases for revocation are considered by the Honours Forfeiture Committee, which may then make recommendations to the King, who has the sole authority to rescind the honour.
Yahoo News UK looks back at some of the public figures who have had their titles revoked.
Rolf Harris
The musician, TV presenter and artist Rolf Harris was stripped of his CBE in 2015, a year after he was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison.
He was convicted of 12 counts of indecent assault on four female victims, who were aged between eight and 19 during the offences between the 1960s and 1980s.
Harris was appointed a Member of the British Empire (MBE) in 1968, then advanced to Officer of the British Empire (OBE) in 1977 and then to Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 2006, but his CBE was revoked in March 2015. He died in May 2023.
Harvey Weinstein
The former movie mogul and sex offender was stripped of his honorary CBE in September 2020 after he was convicted in February of that year of rape and sexual assault and subsequently sentenced to 23 years in prison.
Weinstein was awarded the CBE in April 2004 in recognition of his contribution to the British film industry.
In February 2023, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison for further convictions of rape and sexual abuse.
Naseem Hamed
Former boxer Naseem Hamed was stripped of his MBE in December 2006 after being convicted of dangerous driving.
In May of that year, he was sentenced to 15 months in prison after he crashed his McLaren-Mercedes SLR head on into another vehicle, seriously injuring another driver.
Hamed, who was awarded the MBE in 1999 for services to boxing, served 16 weeks in prison.
Lester Piggott
Renowned jockey Lester Piggott was stripped of his OBE after he was convicted of tax fraud in 1987.
He was sentenced to three years in prison and eventually served 366 days, resulting in the revoking of his OBE, which he had been awarded in 1975.
Robert Mugabe
The former president of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, was stripped in 2008 of the honorary knighthood awarded to him in 1994, amid accusations he ran a violent dictatorship that carried out human rights abuses and was accused of genocide.
Nicolae Ceauşescu
Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu was stripped of his knighthood the day before he was executed in 1989.
He had been awarded the honour during a state visit to the UK in 1978, but it was revoked after he was convicted of economic sabotage and was accused of genocide.
Anthony Blunt
The Queen's art adviser Anthony Blunt was stripped of his knighthood in November 1979 after then prime minister Margaret Thatcher revealed he was a Soviet spy - he had confessed in 1964 after being offered immunity from prosecution.
Blunt was considered to be the "fourth man" of the notorious Cambridge Five spy ring, and he passed intelligence to the Soviets during World War II.
Jean Else
The former headteacher was stripped of her damehood in February 2011 after she was found guilty by the General Teaching Council in 2006 of nepotism, financial mismanagement and making illegal payments to staff.
Else remains the only woman created a Dame to have the honour revoked - it was awarded to her in 2001.
Dario Gradi
Former Crewe Alexandra manager Dario Gradi was stripped of the MBE awarded to him in 1998 for services to football for allegedly failing to protect children from sexual abuse.
His honour was revoked in August 2023 after a review in 2021 found he "should have done more" to look into claims about coach Barry Bennell, who was convicted of sexually abusing boys at the club.
Fred Goodwin
Nicknamed "Fred the Shred", the former head of the Royal Bank of Scotland was stripped of his knighthood in 2012 over his role in the bank's near-collapse during the financial crisis of 2008.
Goodwin was awarded the knighthood in 2004 for services to banking, but it was revoked after what the Cabinet Office called "widespread concern about Fred Goodwin's decisions" during the crisis.
