8 September 2026
Being awarded an honour is the pinnacle of many recipients’ lives. From knighthoods to MBEs, these honours are given to those who have contributed positively to society.
Official guidance obtained through a Free Speech Union member, Nick Buckley, has shown that those with honours could have them removed over posts they make online.
These individuals face the humiliation of having their honours stripped by a shadowy committee operating at the heart of Whitehall, within the Cabinet Office, over comments made online which officials have themselves conceded “do not amount to criminal conduct.”
The secret guidance, which the Free Speech Union shared with The Telegraph after it was obtained through a Freedom of Information request from Nick Buckley, states that “hate incidents,” which “cannot be prosecuted,” could lead to honours being removed.
These incidents include cases where “the victim or anyone else thinks [the incident] was motivated by hostility or prejudice based on one of five prescribed characteristics — disability, race, religion, transgender identity or sexual orientation.” In short, you could have your life’s proudest achievement taken away from you by a secretive committee over lawful comments made online.
The threshold for stripping someone of an honour is supposed to be incredibly high. The official criteria include being convicted of a criminal offence and sentenced to more than three months in prison, or being censured or struck off by a regulator or professional body. However, this FOI request has exposed that, in practice, the criteria are being applied far more broadly.
It is absurd that this shadowy committee can recommend stripping people of their honours — often the proudest achievement of their lives — simply for making perfectly lawful comments on social media.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, the Free Speech Union’s General Secretary, Lord Young of Acton, said he believed people would think twice before accepting an honour, knowing it could be stripped from them over lawful online comments.
“If people know their honours could be withdrawn if they say something politically contentious that the committee disagrees with, even if it’s a perfectly legal, mainstream view, anyone right-of-centre will think twice about accepting one in future.”
Nick Buckley, an FSU member, was awarded an MBE for his charity work in Manchester. Last December, Mr Buckley received a letter from the Forfeiture Committee informing him that his MBE could be revoked because he had allegedly “brought the honours system into disrepute.” The Committee pointed to comments he had made on social media, which it considered “beyond political comment,” “racist,” and “homophobic.” What is most alarming is that the Forfeiture Committee held a meeting to discuss Nick’s case without his knowledge.
Thankfully, with the support of the Free Speech Union — which included Lord Young of Acton writing to the Head of the Honours and Memorialisation Secretariats at the Cabinet Office, setting out the inconsistencies in the case and reminding the Committee that the threshold for stripping someone of an honour is intentionally high — the Committee has now told Mr Buckley that it will not be recommending the revocation of his MBE.
Others have been less fortunate. Conservative peer and businessman Lord Ranger had his CBE stripped from him following a dispute on the social media platform X. Lord Ranger is now suing the Government.
Writing to the Forfeiture Committee, Nick Buckley said:
“Without a transparent policy, all honour-holders will be in a position where they feel unable to express their beliefs without jeopardising their honour.”
The Forfeiture Committee states that “the overriding consideration for the committee should be the question: ‘Have the actions or inactions of the individual brought the honours system into disrepute?'” But at the Free Speech Union, we are no strangers to employers or institutions using the term “into disrepute” to silence and punish those who challenge the status quo and do not subscribe to prevailing progressive orthodoxies.
It is with this in mind that the Free Speech Union is alarmed at the inevitable unintended consequences of the Removal of Peerages Bill. While this piece of legislation was introduced by the Starmer Government in the wake of revelations about Peter Mandelson’s close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, it could be used by a future government to punish those — most likely on the political right — who raise concerns about hot-button topics such as mass uncontrolled migration or the grooming gangs scandal. You can read more about Lord Young’s concerns in his piece for The Spectator.
An honour should not become a muzzle that prevents its recipient from challenging progressive orthodoxy. If people know that accepting an honour could one day be used to silence them, they may refuse it altogether.
Read more in The Telegraph, watch Lord Young’s explainer video, and Nick Buckley’s FSU member testimonial.
Could your honour be stripped for a lawful post?
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