Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wants to “level up” the honours system by giving more knighthoods, damehoods, and other honours to people living in under-represented areas of the country, according to a new report.
In the foreword to a new report on the operation of the honours system, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said that Sunak is “determined to make sure our honours represent the length and breadth of the country.”
The ‘Levelling Up’ Plan
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson adopted the “levelling up” slogan in the 2019 election, which saw the Conservative Party make huge gains in Labour’s previously impregnable “red wall” heartlands.It is a shorthand for tackling regional inequalities, particularly between the former industrial “red wall” areas in the north of England on the one hand, and London and the southeast on the other.
‘Challenging’
More than one year on, the report notes that regional diversity “remains challenging” in the honours system, as “statistical analysis shows that some parts of the UK are consistently better represented in honours lists than others.”“In particular, Northern Ireland and London tend to have a greater number of recipients than would be expected from their share of the population.
“Conversely, the north east and north west of England, east of England, and East Midlands are all less well represented relative to their population sizes.”
In the New Year’s honours list for 2023, for example, 21 percent of recipients were from London—despite the city making up 13 percent of the UK population.
Some 6.5 percent of recipients were from Northern Ireland, which only accounted for 2.8 percent of the UK population.
Sunak’s Priorities
According to the report, Sunak also set a key priority when rewarding public servants, to “recognise those who have saved the taxpayer money.”“The government is here to serve the British people; it is our duty to make sure we are delivering value for money on their behalf wherever we can,” Dowden wrote.
He added: “At the same time, the prime minister wants future awards to be targeted at those who are helping tackle today’s biggest challenges.
“He has asked the honours system to prioritise those who provide high-quality healthcare and education; who tackle crime; who support families to contribute to society and help children achieve their potential; and to recognise our most inspiring entrepreneurs, innovators and philanthropists.
“All of these people deserve recognition for the incredible contribution they make across every part of the UK and they will be our focus moving forward.”
The report said the government has “taken a number of steps over the past few years to increase both the number and diversity of nominations received, reflecting the broader focus on reform within the system.”
It said around 70 percent of recipients on each honours list are recognised for community, voluntary, and charitable service.
In the New Year’s honours list for 2023, 45.1 percent of higher awards went to women, and 16.4 percent of recipients were from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Some 29.2 percent of recipients considered themselves to be from a lower socio-economic background, the report said.
