Campaign Launched to Bolster Variety in Honours Program's Demographic Composition
The UK's honours system is undergoing a significant transformation, with a new Diversity and Outreach Committee being established to ensure the system better reflects the rich diversity of society. This committee, chaired by Moni Mannings OBE for a five-year term (2025–2030), aims to make the honours more inclusive and representative by encouraging nominations from under-represented regions, social groups, and sectors.
The committee's goal is to address historical imbalances, such as the underrepresentation of people from northern England and working-class backgrounds in higher honours. Recent studies have shown significant disparities within the UK's honours system, with only 6% of higher awards going to individuals from the north of England and 4% to those from working-class backgrounds.
The new committee, which comprises members from each of the ten independent honours committees based on their expertise, will provide guidance to existing honours committees and the government to encourage nominations from underrepresented regions and groups. It will also align its work with the Prime Minister’s strategic priorities for the honours system and review how these priorities are reflected in each honours list.
Moni Mannings, the independent chair of the diversity and outreach committee, emphasizes that the honours system is a key public mechanism for both recognizing individual contribution and reflecting societal values. Recognizing excellence from all backgrounds helps narrate a more complete national story. The committee aims to ensure that individuals from various communities are recognized for their contributions.
The focus of the new committee is on merit-based recognition that transcends socio-economic backgrounds. This focus is evident in recent developments, such as Billy Boston receiving a knighthood this year, marking a historic moment for rugby league, which had previously been excluded from the honours system.
The diversity and outreach committee's efforts are in response to longstanding concerns about the fairness of the honours process and calls for a greater diversity among honourees. The committee's work is part of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's initiatives to make the honours system more reflective of the entire UK.
Moni Mannings emphasized that recognizing excellence from all walks of life isn't just a symbolic act - it is how we tell our national story. The new committee's work aims to broaden the scope of nominations and ensure that individuals from various communities are recognized for their contributions. This will help create a more representative honours system that reflects the varied tapestry of society.
In summary, the diversity and outreach committee's goal is to broaden participation and recognition in the honours system to better reflect the UK's social and regional diversity, addressing historical disparities like low representation of working-class individuals and those from northern England. The committee's progress includes establishing the committee leadership, defining its remit for outreach and policy advice, and beginning targeted efforts to raise awareness and encourage nominations from underrepresented groups.
- The newly established Diversity and Outreach Committee, led by Moni Mannings, aims to broaden participation in the UK's honours system, particularly focusing on encouraging nominations from underrepresented regions like northern England and individuals from diverse backgrounds in business, finance, and other sectors.
- Aligned with the Prime Minister’s strategic priorities, the Diversity and Outreach Committee plans to work towards a more inclusive and representative honours system, ensuring that individuals from various communities, including those in the business and finance sector, are recognized for their valuable contributions to society.
