A British Indian Conservative Party peer, Lord Ranger, has initiated legal proceedings in the High Court in London challenging the revocation of his CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire). This marks the first instance of an individual taking the UK government to court over the removal of a chivalric honour.
Legal Action Against the Prime Minister
The multi-millionaire businessman and founder of the shipping firm Sun Mark brought the case against UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the administrative court on Thursday. Lord Ranger contends that the decision to strip him of his CBE was unlawful and should be overturned.
Background of the Revocation
The decision to revoke the honour was made by King Charles in October 2024, based on the advice of Prime Minister Starmer. This followed a determination by the Honours Forfeiture Committee, which concluded that Ranger had brought the honours system into disrepute due to various tweets and public comments he had made.
Arguments from Lord Ranger's Legal Team
Tom Hickman KC, representing Lord Ranger, argued that in revoking the CBE, the Prime Minister relied on allegations that were never presented to Ranger. Additionally, personal disputes were considered, which contradicts the committee's guidelines. The decision was made without awaiting the outcome of a libel claim filed by Sikhs for Justice. Hickman also argued that the revocation violated Ranger's freedom of expression rights under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. He emphasized that forfeiture carries serious reputational consequences. Mrs. Justice Lieven appeared to sympathize with this view, noting that the impact of a revocation decision is highly damaging.
Government's Defense
Christopher Knight KC, representing Prime Minister Starmer, contended that the exercise of the prerogative power to remove an honour is entirely non-justiciable and called for the claim to be dismissed. He stated that exercises of prerogative power are beyond the constitutional competence of the courts because they involve moral, ethical, and political considerations rather than legal standards. As an example, he cited the consideration of whether Ranger's comments towards the Sikh and Pakistani communities were inconsistent with a CBE awarded for services to community cohesion.
Next Steps
A judgment on whether the case is justiciable will be delivered at a later date. The court will first determine if it has the authority to hear the case.
