Is an honour now a dishonour? After David Cameron handed out an MBE to his hairdresser, as first revealed here, and a knighthood to his holiday chum Alan Parker, City PR boss and Save the Children chairman, they aren’t going down so well. One who discovered this was Labour MP Kevin Barron, who also received a knighthood.
During Education Questions yesterday in the Commons, Barron, a former mineworker, prepared to speak. As he rose to his feet, Speaker John Bercow announced: “Sir Kevin Barron.” Normally, the first use of an MP’s “K” would be greeted by congratulatory cheers in the House. Although one or two Tories did, Barron’s name was greeted with sullen silence from many on his own side.
The reason? Barron’s decision to accept the knighthood has made it harder for Labour to attack David Cameron for “honours cronyism”.
