On 23 November 2023, I received a letter from the Cabinet Office. Writing “in the strictest confidence” they told me that I had been “recommended to His Majesty The King for the honour of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the New Year Honours List 2024.” Was it “agreeable” to me for the Prime Minister to submit my name to The King for approval?
I’d always said that I’d reject an honour if I was offered one, so I was greatly relieved to find that my resolution didn’t weaken in the event, like a dieter’s in the face of a large bowl of treacle pudding and custard. On the contrary, when I sat down to write a letter in return explaining precisely why the offer was not agreeable to me, I found myself more adamant than before.
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