The dishonours system

David Cameron’s honours list has provided grist to the mill for those who want to see the honours system thoroughly reformed – or even abolished. As well as the ludicrous honouring of a stylist who helped Mrs Cameron choose her clothes and accessories, gongs and knighthood are going to some dubbed “Cameron’s cronies” who were in the Remain camp including Chancellor Philip Hammond and Defence Secretary Michael Fallon. Honours also go to those who made donations to the party and number 10 staff paid to serve whichever political leader is elected.

While the technical explanation is that such recommendations go before an independent committee and are then sent back to the current Prime Minister to be signed off, this is unlikely to satisfy the anger of those who want to see honours going to those who have gone beyond the call of duty for their country and fellow citizens. But given some of the names on this list, which includes advisers who are no more than glorified press officers, Mr Cameron has made a mockery of the honours system, honouring people for service to Mr Cameron rather than to their country.

Mr Cameron started off as Prime Minister saying he wanted to “clean up politics” and made great play of how he wanted to help hardworking Britons. But as the leaked list reveals, he has made sure he has been able to extract every last bit of privilege for his friends and supporters.

Perhaps if David Cameron had been a successful PM and not the man who unwittingly engineered the UK’S exit from the European Union, he might have had the kind of judgment required to avoid making this latest, and mercifully last, blunder of office.