I have always been intrigued as to why some people are offered a Knighthood or made a Dame (Knight or Dame of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire), whereas as others are offered just an MBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire).

Why should Lewis Hamilton be knighted yet Dr Tayyab Haider, who works for the NHS at Basildon Hospital, be only offered an MBE?

Either there should be more equality in the honours system or we should do away with them altogether.

A friend of mine was offered a knighthood a few years ago and I asked him if he was going to accept it. His reply was “that it should secure him a table at his favourite restaurant”.

He obviously did not fully appreciate his honour, but he did accept the perks that went along with it.

Of course, it is an economic way of honouring an individual’s services. Better to do this than to pay some money out of public funds, though surely somebody could come up with a much more equitable honours system.

While they are at it – let us try to do away with an outdated British Empire Medal, which puts us back into the dark ages of Empire that most of us would prefer to forget.

VIN HARROP

Rosslyn Road, Billericay

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