Honours refusals published

A SECRET list of 300 top people who snubbed the honours system by refusing knighthoods and other awards was revealed yesterday.

David Bowie, celebrity cook Nigella Lawson and comedy duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders were among those who refused honours, it was claimed.

Bowie declined a CBE in the Queen’s birthday honours of 2000 while Lawson, rejected an OBE offered in 2001 for “services to journalism and to cookery”.

French and Saunders turned down OBEs “for services to comedy drama” in the same year.

The information, covering more than 40 years, is in secret Whitehall files leaked to The Sunday Times. The reasons for refusing are not recorded.

An inquiry to find the source of the leak is now under way.

Novelist JG Ballard, James Bond leading lady Honor Blackman and jazz musician George Melly have all turned down honours under British Prime Minister Tony Blair, but the documents include names of famous people who have declined honours offered by prime ministers on behalf of the Queen.