LONDON, June 15: Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Post Office campaigner Alan Bates and several Indian-origin community leaders were among those who were made a Companion of Honour for their outstanding services to the society. The Order of the Companions of Honour was founded by King George V in 1917 to recognise outstanding achievements in the Arts, Sciences, Medicine and Public Service. This year the honour was bestowed on 1,077 people on Friday in recognition of their services.
Of the 1,077 people honoured in the 2024 list, 509 were women – representing 48 per cent of the total – and 10 per cent of all successful candidates were from an ethnic minority background. Brown, 73, was honoured for his outstanding public and charitable services in the UK and abroad. He was the British Prime Minister from 2007 to 2010.
Besides Brown, Post Office campaigner Alan Bates, and artist Tracey Emin are among the famous faces recognised for their contribution to society in the honours list. While Bates was knighted in recognition of his work highlighting the Post Office Horizon IT scandal, Emin, actor Imelda Staunton and fashion accessories designer Anya Hindmarch were all named on the list. “Writer Armando Iannucci was made a CBE and cyclist Mark Cavendish was knighted,” according to a communiqué issued following the issuance of the list.
The youngest recipient on the list was 20-year-old Shamza Butt, who received a British Empire Medal for her work at the voluntary .
