Former British prime minister Tony Blair has been awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II and has become known as Sir Tony from Saturday.
Blair has been appointed as member of the Order of the Garter, England's oldest and most senior honour, which is made as a personal choice of the monarch.
The ceremonial order, founded in 1348, is a recognition of significant public service and is made without prime ministerial advice as with other New Year honours.
“It's an immense honour,” said Blair, who was the Labour Party prime minister for 10 years between 1997 and 2007. “I would like to thank all those who served alongside me, in politics, public service and all parts of our society, for their dedication and commitment to our country,” he said.
However, the knighthood for Blair has not been received kindly. Mothers of British soldiers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan in military operations during Blair's tenure protested against the move. Carol Valentine, whose son Simon was killed while clearing land mines in Afghanistan in 2009, called the knighthood “the ultimate insult”, The Mirror reported.
The Daily Mail reported several women threatened to return their Elizabeth Crosses, which are given to bereaved military families, in protest against the honour for Blair. An online signature campaign against knighthood for Tony Blair gained over 100,000 signatures since Friday.
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A report into the UK's entry into the operation to invade Iraq, which was published in 2016, had alleged Blair's case for the operation was based on flawed intelligence.
Anti-war activists had criticised the move to knight Tony Blair, alleging he was a war criminal. Journalist John Pilger referred to this as he tweeted on Saturday, “The contempt in which Britain's elite holds the public has never been more eloquently expressed than in the decision to award Tony Blair the highest order of knighthood. One million Iraqis dead, three million dispossessed, a trail of blood to 7/7. Rise Sir Tony.”
