Law chief ’s honour sparks a new storm
AN honour for former chief prosecutor Alison
Saunders sparked a ‘rewards for failure’ row last night.
She was made a dame for services to criminal justice despite being branded ‘probably the worst DPP [director of public prosecutions] ever’.
In her honours citation, Dame Alison was described as having given ‘unstinting public service’ to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), where she worked for more than 30 years.
But critics pointed to a series of scandals on her watch, including the collapse of several rape trials over the failure by prosecutors to disclose evidence, and Operation elveden, a ‘ witch hunt’ against journalists that cost £20million. Dame Alison was expected to receive her honour last year in the months after she left the CPS, raising speculation it had been blocked.
Last night backbench tory MP Nigel evans said he was ‘ bitterly disappointed’ by the decision.
He said: ‘ A lot of people have been wrongly accused when she was leading the charge. She created a lot of victims, who are still suffering from being wrongfully accused. this creates another injustice on top of the injustices.’
Barrister Jonathan Goldberg QC also criticised the honour. He said: ‘this will be viewed as a bad joke. She is seen by us as probably the worst DPP ever. She has presided over a terrible demoralisation within the CPS, disaster after disaster in the field of sex crimes and disclosure.’
Other senior figures to be handed honours include John Manzoni, the chief executive of the civil service, and NHS england chief executive Simon Stevens, who receive knighthoods.
there is a damehood for Sharon White, the boss of broadcasting watchdog Ofcom who is stepping down to join John Lewis.
Former chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies receives an even higher honour, becoming Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath.
‘Worst DPP ever’