HALF a million people have signed a petition to have former prime minister Tony Blair’s knighthood “rescinded”.
Blair is appointed by the Queen a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the oldest and most senior British Order of Chivalry.
The Change.org petition, set up three days ago, which aims to strip the former Labour leader of his appointment, reached 500,000 signatures on Monday.
READ MORE: Tony Blair petition: Keir Starmer defends former PM as signatures hit 500,000
A statement on the website said: “Tony Blair caused irreparable damage to both the constitution of the United Kingdom and to the very fabric of the nation’s society.
“He was personally responsible for causing the death of countless innocent, civilian lives and servicemen in various conflicts. For this alone he should be held accountable for war crimes.
“Tony Blair is the least deserving person of any public honour, particularly anything awarded by Her Majesty the Queen.
“We petition the Prime Minister to petition Her Majesty to have this honour removed.”
On Monday, The National revealed how Blair looks set to keep his knighthood as no UK institution appeared to know how to remove it.
The usual process for taking away a knighthood would begin after a complaint is made through the Cabinet Office’s dedicated Forfeiture Committee email address.
The committee then considers each case and passes them to the monarch, which action to be taken then.
Asked about the Blair petition, the Cabinet Office insisted multiple times that it did not have the power to look at removing knighthoods. They said the inquiry should go through Buckingham Palace, but the palace said this had “nothing to do with” them and was “certainly a matter for the Government”.
The Cabinet Office then insisted the palace is “in the wrong about that”.
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