Knighthood for British Ex-PM Tony Blair Sparks Controversy

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair leaves the BBC in central London, after appearing on the BBC political programme The Andrew Marr Show, on June 6, 2021. Tolga Akmen /AFP via Getty Images

News that former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has been granted a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth sparked intense controversy in the British society, with over half a million people signing a petition calling for the honour to be rescinded.

Blair was made a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the oldest and most senior British Order of Chivalry, to which appointments are in the Queen’s gift without advice from the government.