1997 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours

The 1997 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours were officially announced in two supplements to the London Gazette of 1 August 1997 (published 2 August 1997) and marked the May 1997 resignation of Prime Minister John Major.^[1]

A notable omission from the list was Norman Lamont, who was overlooked for a life peerage in what was seen as a snub for the former Chancellor of the Exchequer who had become one of Major's most prominent critics.^[2]

Included in the announced list were new "working peers": 31 new Labour life peers recommended by Tony Blair to reduce the Tory majority; Paddy Ashdown, the Liberal Democrat leader, recommended 11 new Liberal Democrat life peers; five were recommended by William Hague, the Conservative Leader.

The recipients of the major classes of honours are displayed below, as they were styled before their new honour, and arranged by honour.

Life Peerages

• Norman Blackwell, former Head of the Prime Minister's Policy Unit, 1995-7 (created Lord Blackwell of Woodcote)
• Dame Janet Fookes, former Deputy Speaker and MP for Plymouth Drake (created Baroness Fookes of Plymouth)
• Roger Freeman, former Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (created Lord Freeman of Dingley)
• James Douglas-Hamilton, former Scottish Office Minister (created Lord Selkirk of Douglas); having briefly succeeded as Earl of Selkirk in 1994 (which title he disclaimed)
• Terence Higgins, former Financial Secretary to the Treasury, 1972-74 (created Lord Higgins of Worthing)
• David Hunt, former Secretary of State for Wales (1990-3) and Employment, former Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (created Lord Hunt of Wirral)
• Dame Jill Knight, former MP for Birmingham Edgbaston and former Vice-Chairperson of the 1922 Committee (created Baroness Knight of Collingtree)
• Ian Lang, former Scottish Secretary and President of the Board of Trade (created Lord Lang of Monkton)
• Tony Newton, former Social Security Secretary (1989-92) and Leader of the House of Commons (1992-7) (created Lord Newton of Braintree)
• Sir Cranley Onslow, former Foreign Office Minister and Chairman of the 1922 Committee for backbench Tory MPs (created Lord Onslow of Woking)

Conservative "working peers"

• John Cope, former Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party and Paymaster-General, 1992-4 (Created Lord Cope of Berkeley)
• Tristan Garel-Jones, former Minister for Europe and Whip (Created Lord Garel-Jones of Watford)
• Sir Hector Monro, former Scottish Office and Environment Minister (created Lord Monro of Langholm)
• Michael Morris, former Deputy Speaker, House of Commons (created Lord Naseby of Sandy)
• Wyn Roberts, former Welsh Office Minister (created Lord Roberts of Conwy)

Labour "working peers"

• Valerie Amos, director Amos Fraser Bernard
• Steven Bassam, head of environmental health and consumer issues at the Local Government Association.
• Clive Brooke, joint general secretary, Public Services Tax and Commerce Union
• Tom Burlison, deputy general secretary of the GMB and Labour Party treasurer
• Bryan Davies, former secretary to the Parliamentary Labour Party
• Garfield Davies CBE, general secretary of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers
• James Gordon CBE, chairman, Scottish Radio Holdings plc
• Peter Hardy, former Labour MP for Wentworth
• Norman Hogg, former Deputy Chief Whip 1983 to 1987
• Robert Hughes, former Labour spokesman on agriculture and transport
• Roy Hughes, former Labour spokesman on Welsh Affairs, former member of the Council of Europe
• Philip Hunt OBE, chief executive, National Health Service Confederation
• Greville Janner QC, former Labour MP for Leicester West, honorary vice- president of the World Jewish Congress
• Helena Kennedy QC
• Michael Levy, director of M and G Records, president of Jewish Care
• Michael Montague CBE, chairman of Superframe plc, chairman Montague Multinational Ltd, formerly chairman English Tourist Board
• Alf Morris, former Minister for the Disabled
• Stan Orme, former social security minister and Cabinet member (1977 to 1979), chairman Parliamentary Labour Party 1987 to 1992
• Jill Pitkeathley OBE, chief executive Carers National Association, member of the Health Advisory Service
• Sir David Puttnam CBE, film producer
• Stuart Randall, former Labour spokesman on agriculture and home affairs
• Ruth Rendell CBE, author
• Sir Robin Renwick KCMG, director Robert Fleming Holdings Ltd, chairman Save & Prosper Group, UK ambassador to South Africa from 1987 to 1991 and to USA from 1991 to 1995
• David Sainsbury, chairman and chief executive of J Sainsbury plc
• Patricia Scotland QC
• Barbara Scott Young, chief executive, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
• George Simpson, managing director of General Electric Company plc
• Andrew Stone, joint managing director, Marks and Spencer plc
• Terence Thomas CBE, managing director, Cooperative Bank
• Harold Walker, former deputy speaker of the Commons
• Michael Watson, former Labour MP for Glasgow Central

Liberal Democrat "working peers"

• Navnit Dholakia OBE, member of the Lib Dem Federal Executive and Federal Policy Committee, member of the Police Complaints Authority
• Sir William Goodhart QC
• Sir Anthony Jacobs, vice-president Social and Liberal Democrats 1988, chairman Federal Executive, Social and Liberal Democrats
• Veronica Linklater, chairman The New School Butterstone, trustee Esmee Fairbairn Charitable Trust, trustee Cancer Care, Western General Hospital
• Sarah Ludford, barrister, Islington councillor, European Affairs consultant
• Diana Maddock, former Lib Dem MP for Christchurch
• Richard Newby OBE, director of the Matrix Communications Consultancy Ltd, Director of External Communication, Lib Dem general election team 1996-97
• Emma Nicholson, former Tory, then Lib Dem MP for Devon West and Torridge
• Timothy Razzall CBE, Lib Dem Richmond councillor, Lib Dem treasurer
• Sir Michael Sandberg CBE, former chairman of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation from 1977 to 1986 and the British Bank of the Middle East from 1980 to 1986
• Sir Trevor Smith, vice chancellor and honorary professor, University of Ulster

Knights Bachelor

• Robert Atkins, former Minister of State for Northern Ireland, Environment, Sport, Transport, Trade and Industry (Later MEP, 1999)
• Peter Brown, constituency agent to John Major
• Michael Forsyth, former Scottish Secretary, 1995-7 (later Lord Forsyth of Drumlean)
• Anthony Garrett CBE, Director, Campaigning Department, Conservative Central Office
• Brian Mawhinney, former Transport Secretary (1994-5), Chairman of the Conservative Party (1995-7), later Shadow Home Secretary (1997-8) (later Lord Mawhinney)
• Richard Needham, former Minister for Northern Ireland and Trade (inherited title of Earl of Kilmorey)
• Neville Trotter, former Conservative MP for Tynemouth
• John Ward, Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, 1994-97

Companion of Honour

• Michael Heseltine, Former Deputy Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for Henley (later Lord Heseltine)

Order of St Michael and St George

Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG)

• Alastair Goodlad, Former Conservative Chief Whip and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
• Jeremy Hanley, Former Chairman of the Conservative Party and Defence and Foreign Office Minister
• Malcolm Rifkind, Former Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Scotland, Transport and Defence. (Current Conservative MP for the constituency of Kensington and Chelsea)

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG)

• John Holmes, Private Secretary, Prime Minister's Office (Overseas Affairs)

Order of the British Empire

Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)

• Jonathan Haslam, Former Chief Press Secretary, Number 10
• Howell James, Former Political Secretary, Number 10
• Professor Lord McColl of Dulwich, Former Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister 1995-97
• Michael Trend, Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party 1995-2000.

Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)

• Mark Adams, Private Secretary, Prime Minister's Office (Parliamentary Affairs)
• John Bridge, Constituency chairman to John Major
• Trevor Butler, Detective Superintendent, Metropolitan Police Service
• Daniel Finkelstein, Director of Research, Conservative Central Office
• Gina Hearn, Constituency Secretary to John Major
• Charles Lewington, Former Director of Communications, Conservative Central Office
• Eileen, Lady Strathnaver, Former Special Adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister, Michael Heseltine
• Andrew Woods, Former agent to John Major
• Moira Wallace, Private Secretary, Number 10 (Economic Affairs)

Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

• Deborah Ailes, Senior Personal Secretary, Prime Minister's Office
• Noelle Berney, Co-ordinator of Kurdish Life Aid (for humanitarian services)
• Maureen Bick, Cleaner, Prime Minister's Office
• James Bridge, Former Assistant Political Secretary, Prime Minister's Office
• Penelope Brook, Head of Speakers' Department, Conservative Central Office
• Christine Ferns, Switchboard Supervisor, Prime Minister's Office
• Vanessa Ford, Head of Chairman's Office, Conservative Central Office
• Sheila Gunn, Press Officer, Conservative Central Office
• Leading Wren Linda Lalley, Stewardess at Chequers (Royal Navy)
• Judy Moorhouse, Former Secretary to the Political Secretary, Prime Minister's Office
• Lorne Roper-Caldbeck, Secretary to Prime Minister's wife, Norma Major
• Robert Rumble, Driver to Prime Minister John Major
• Arabella Warburton, Former Personal Assistant in the Prime Minister's Office
• Michael York, Messenger, Prime Minister's Office

See also

• 1976 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours
• 1979 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours
• 1990 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours

References

Sources

• The Independent, 2 August 1997