Tory peer who 'harassed and bullied' journalist stripped of CBE after King orders it to be 'cancelled'

6 December 2024, 16:23

Tory peer Lord Rami Ranger who 'harassed and bullied' a female journalist has been stripped of his CBE following an order from King Charles.

A notice published in the London Gazette on Friday said the King had directed Lord Ranger's CBE would be "cancelled and annulled".

The Forfeiture Committee, which decides on whether to strip someone of an honour, is understood to have taken the decision after considering social media posts made by Lord Ranger about the Sikh community, along with comments in the media about Pakistanis.

It also considered the House of Lords Standards Commissioner's finding in June 2023 that Lord Ranger had harassed and bullied Indian journalist Poonam Joshi in a series of tweets.

Lord Ranger, who has donated around £1.5 million to the Conservative Party since 2009, was made a CBE in 2016 for services to business and community cohesion.

Following the decision, he said he would explore "various legal avenues" to challenge the "unjust" decision and said the manner in which the honour had been stripped was "shameful".

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A spokesperson for Lord Ranger said: "Lord Ranger has not committed any crime nor has he broken any law, where the majority of the people who have had their honour revoked in this way have committed a crime or broken the law.

"Lord Ranger is devastated that the CBE awarded to him for his services to British business and for promoting community cohesion has been taken away.

"It is a sad indictment that the honours system which is designed to empower individuals who go the extra mile and, as a result, contribute a great deal to the nation should be used to curtail the basic fundamental rights of free speech and thought process."

The spokesperson went on to say Lord Ranger had apologised and undertaken rehabilitative work regarding complaints that had been made against him, adding that the decision would "encourage individuals to make spurious complaints about others".

They added: "Despite the actions of the committee, Lord Ranger will continue to make the significant contribution that he has over the last 30 years and that led to him originally receiving his honours.

"He is looking at all options for redress via various legal avenues open to him and will challenge this unjust decision in order to vindicate himself and clear his name in the UK and abroad. Lord Ranger was a worthy recipient of his CBE.

"The manner in which it has been taken from him is shameful."

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Lord Ranger was ennobled in 2019 in Theresa May's resignation honours, but lost the Conservative whip after he was censured by the standards commissioner, when he lost the whip.

Lord Ranger apologised to Ms Joshi for his conduct, which included calling her "toxic", "a total nutcase", and "the epitome of filth and garbage", after the Lords Standards Commissioner found he had bullied and harassed her.

The Conservatives returned the whip to Lord Ranger in November this year.

PA understands that while Lord Ranger apologised for his actions, the Forfeiture Committee considered his behaviour combined with the fact he was made a CBE for his work on community cohesion meant it was appropriate for him to forfeit his honour.