Treasury permanent secretary Tom Scholar, Department for Health counterpart Chris Wormald and Welsh Government perm sec Shan Morgan are among 1,019 recipients of awards in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Scholar and Wormald receive knighthoods in recognition of their public service, both in their current and past roles. Morgan’s honour reflects her previous diplomatic career.
Notes on Scholar’s honour cited his contribution to dealing with the global financial crisis of 2008-9 and roles as executive director of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
Wormald’s tribute referred to his leadership of the civil service’s professionalisation agenda, and achievements at the Department for Education – where he was also perm sec – as well as in the Cabinet Office and Department for Communities and Local Government.
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Morgan becomes a dame in recognition of services to the UK’s interests in the European Union during her time as former deputy permanent representative at the UK Representation to the European Union.
The permanent secretaries are joined in receiving top-ranking honours by United Nations under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief Stephen O’Brien, who gets a knighthood.
O’Brien was as a Conservative junior minister in the Department for International Development during the coalition government and is due to continue in his UN role until the end of August, when he will be replaced by outgoing DfID perm sec Mark Lowcock.
Former director general in the European Commission Jonathan Faull receives a knighthood for services to UK relations with the EU.
Claire Clancy, chief executive and clerk of the National Assembly for Wales is made a dame Commander of the Order of the Bath on the recommendation of the Parliamentary and Political Service Committee, in recognition of public service in Wales.
Senior civil servants made Companions of the Order of the Bath include: HM Revenue & Customs director Janet Aiston, Department for Work and Pensions director Janice Hartley, Home Office directors Tyson Hepple and Diana Luchford, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory chief executive Jonathan Lyle, Peter Milledge, who is counsel to the chairman of committees in the House of Lords, and Peter Schofield, director general for housing and planning at the Department for Communities and Local Government.
In addition to the honours for O’Brien, Morgan and Faull, the Diplomatic Service and Overseas List details OBEs for five civil servants. They are: British Ambassador to Turkmenistan Thorda Abbott-Wyatt, Beijing Embassy first secretary Rupert Ainley, Foreign and Commonwealth Office counsellor Keith Green, FCO Iraq specialist Patrick Lamb, and FCO first secretary David Spencer.
Outside the civil service, the 2017 Birthday Honours include a knighthood for comedian Billy Connolly, while Julie Walters and June Whitfield become dames.
There are also new honours for Paul McCartney, author JK Rowling, designer Terence Conran and Delia Smith who all become Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour – the same accolade conferred upon former chancellor George Osborne in David Cameron’s 2016 resignation list.