Tony Blair “deserves the honour” of a knighthood, Keir Starmer has declared.
Starmer dismissed criticism of the move after more than half a million people signed a petition calling for Sir Tony’s appointment by the Queen to the Order of the Garter to be rescinded.
News of the former Labour prime minister’s elevation angered opponents of 2003’s invasion of Iraq.
Starmer said the Iraq War, which killed many thousands of troops and civilians, “doesn’t detract” from the ex-PM’s record.
He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “I understand there are strong views on the Iraq War. There were back at the time and there still are, but that does not detract from the fact that Tony Blair was a very successful prime minister of this country and made a huge difference to the lives of millions of people in this country.”
The Conservative vaccines minister Maggie Throup told LBC that all former Prime Ministers should be honoured.
She said: “I think he did lots of good things. And I think it’s only right that we do honour our previous prime ministers. And he was prime minister for such a long time.”
In a hint that Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Theresa May could be in line for honours, she said: “I think obviously it now opens the doors for others to be recognised in the same way.”
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has suggested that all former prime ministers should be offered a knighthood because “it is one of the toughest jobs in the world”.
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