Should Blair be given the Order of the Garter?

IT’S outrageous to claim Tony Blair ‘does not remotely deserve’ the honour of the Order of the Garter (Mail). For one thing, he saved the monarchy 20 years ago when he persuaded the Queen to return from Balmoral to lead her subjects in mourning Princess Diana. Tony Blair has huge international experience and world leaders pick up the phone immediately when he calls. He is a hero in the U.S. for standing with them after the 9/11 attacks, and it’s obvious the Labour Party is lost without him. ROY WOOLMANS, Llandudno. FORMER prime ministers are normally awarded the Order of the Garter, which lies in the personal gift of the Queen. But as columnist Peter Oborne has pointed out, ten years have passed since Tony Blair left office and two of the 24 Garter memberships are vacant, but he has still not been honoured. I believe Britain’s grandest order of chivalry should never be given to Mr Blair. But that does not mean Gordon Brown and David Cameron should miss out on this honour. Surely the Queen is able to ignore Blair. Giving this award to his successors will underline what a disgrace Blair was as prime minister. This order is an honourable and priceless gift from the monarch and should only be granted to those who deserve it. Name and address supplied. THE Queen is understandably reluctant to confer the Order of the Garter on Tony Blair. So why not give it instead to a senior politician who is widely loved, venerated and respected, such as… um? FRED McMANUS, Paisley. THE single-minded purpose and years of hard work by Nigel Farage in forcing David Cameron to hold the EU referendum surely deserves to be rewarded with the Order of the Garter. D. HUNNIKIN, Chichester, W. Sussex.