Secret honours ‘blacklist’ of 400 celebs who can’t get gongs over their tax affairs is revealed

MORE than 400 public figures are on an honours “blacklist” due to their controversial tax affairs. HMRC officials, asked to vet possible recipients of awards such as a knighthood or OBE, have put 33 in a “high risk” category, and judged another 377 to be “medium risk”. More than 400 public figures are on an honours “blacklist” due to their controversial tax affairs. Credit: Getty – Contributor Rory McIlroy missed out on a knighthood after an intervention by tax officials Credit: Getty An official transparency release showed that of the 410 total for the last 11 years, 135 high-profile people were placed in those categories in just the last two years. It said: “The Honours and Appointments Secretariat may ask HMRC to advise about any potential risk posed to the Government and the Crown by honours candidates in respect of their tax affairs. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! “Checks are requested on a proportionate basis, taking account of the level of the honour and individual’s profile.” Last year Rory McIlroy was part of Europe’s victorious Ryder Cup team, won the US Masters, which completed his career grand slam, and was the first Sports Personality winner in almost a decade to miss out on an honour in the same year. Reports said Whitehall sources compared the snub to that of Sir David Beckham, who finally received his knighthood last year. There were no details regarding McIlroy’s omission, but earlier in his career, he was among thousands of wealthy individuals who put money into another scheme that ended up being challenged by the taxman. A Government spokesperson said: “Our role is to provide a low, medium or high tax-risk assessment, when requested, to inform the honours process. “The main honours committee takes into account the risk rating alongside other information to decide whether to recommend the award of an honour.” Most read in The Sun Comment now