The decision to remove an honour is made by the Forfeiture Committee.
The committee is currently chaired by Dame Sarah Healey, who acts under delegated authority from the Head of the Civil Service.
Gov UK explains: “Also on the Committee is Susanna McGibbon, in her role as Treasury Solicitor. There are four independent members – Dame Jane Dacre, Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia, Stephen Kelly and Sir Hamid Patel.”
The group reviews cases and determines whether an honour should be withdrawn.
What happens after an honour is stripped
If someone loses their honour, they are required to return the insignia to Buckingham Palace.
They are also no longer allowed to reference the honour publicly.
This includes using post-nominal letters such as MBE or OBE in any professional or public context.
“This would include use of the honour post-nominals on websites, publications or business cards,” Gov UK states.
Can someone appeal the decision?
In some situations, recipients may have the opportunity to respond if their honour is being reviewed.
They may be invited to provide written representations, particularly “where the Committee feels that the evidence is not clearcut or where the recipient has been found to have committed a sexual act which is listed in the Acts above following a ‘trial of the facts’.”
Ultimately, however, the final decision rests with the Forfeiture Committee, which determines whether keeping the honour would undermine the integrity of the system.
