(Bloomberg) — Boris Johnson’s top pandemic advisers Patrick Vallance and Chris Whitty were rewarded on the U.K. New Year’s Honors List, which included James Bond actor Daniel Craig and producer Barbara Broccoli, U.S. Open tennis champion Emma Raducanu and former BT Group Chairman Jan du Plessis.
The list of 1,278 honors published late Friday reflected how much Covid-19 has dominated the past 12 months. The chief medical officers of Wales and Scotland received awards alongside Whitty for England, as did Jenny Harries and Jonathan Van-Tam — both appeared regularly in the government’s televised pandemic briefings. Charity fundraisers and workers also featured on the list.
Nearly one in five of the honors were for Covid-related service. The recipients are often proposed by members of the public, then vetted by the government and approved by the Queen.
The prime minister has faced intense criticism during the pandemic, from a perceived delay in ordering the first lockdown in March 2020 to delays in testing. He’s also not always followed the advice of his scientists, and has promised a public inquiry in the spring to look at his government’s response.
Those advisers are now public figures in their own right, and some like Whitty have even acquired a cult-like following. He was granted a knighthood and can use the title, “Sir.” Vallance, who was knighted on the 2019 list, was elevated to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, alongside Whitty.
Harries, who heads the U.K. Health Security Agency, received a damehood, as did June Raine, chief executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. England’s deputy chief medical officer Van-Tam, who has become well known for his use of train analogies to describe the state of the pandemic, received a knighthood.
Sport and Movies
James Bond star Craig, who has played the British spy in five movies including this year’s “No Time To Die,” has been made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG). The honor is typically given to diplomats, and was also held by the 007 character in Ian Fleming’s books.
Movie producer Broccoli will be made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
Gold medalists at the Tokyo Olympics were rewarded, with married cyclists Jason Kenny and Laura Kenny receiving a knighthood and a damehood. Teenager Raducanu, who shocked the tennis world with her New York victory in September, becomes a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).
But no players from England’s soccer team, which made the final of the European Football Championship in London in July, made the list. The team’s assistant manager, Steve Holland, received an MBE.
Business
In the business world, du Plessis — who is the government’s preferred choice to chair the U.K.’s accounting watchdog — receives a knighthood for services to telecoms, having overseen BT’s fiber broadband rollout.
Nick Owen, the former chairman of auditing firm Deloitte U.K., receives a CBE, while Bina Mehta, KPMG U.K.’s current chairman, gets an MBE “for services to trade and investments in the U.K. and female entrepreneurs.”
One of the most exclusive awards was given to former Labour MP Frank Field, now a cross-bench peer in the House of Lords. He was made a Companion of Honour, which is limited to just 65 people at any one time, for his public and political service. Other current members include author J.K. Rowling and the former Beatle, Paul McCartney.
Selected other award winners:
CBE: Martin Lewis, founder of the Money Saving Expert website, for services to broadcasting and consumer rights. Steve Murrells, chief executive of the Co-Operative Group, and former Asda Stores Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Roger Burnley, for services to the food supply chain.
OBE: Olympic gold medalist Tom Daley, for services to diving, LGBTQ+ rights and charity. David Wells, Logistics U.K. chief executive officer, for services to transport and logistics in the pandemic.
MBE: Comedian Adam Hills, host of Channel 4 “The Last Leg” show, for services to Paralympic sport and disability awareness.
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