More than 500,000 Britons: Strip Tony Blair’s Knighthood

By Staff, Agencies 

An online petition to have UK’s former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair stripped of his recently awarded knighthood is rapidly gaining support, with over half a million people signing it in just a few days.

Blair, who served as prime minister from 1997-2007, was appointed Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter in Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year Honours List, which recognized the achievements and service of notable people across the UK in 2022, from COVID-19 medical heroes to sports stars and even James Bond actor Daniel Craig.

The petition was posted on change.org website last Saturday by user Angus Scott. The author of the petition calls on British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to appeal to Queen Elizabeth II with a request to deprive Blair of the knighthood. As of Tuesday 7:00 GMT, 530,819 people signed the petition.

The decision to award the former Labor leader knighthood has been widely criticized by peace activists, who accuse him of war crimes for sending British troops into Iraq and Afghanistan, while others are demanding a reform of the Queen’s honor system.