Boris Johnson condemns Harvey Weinstein as calls grow to strip CBE
Boris Johnson condemns Harvey Weinstein as pressure grows for disgraced movie mogul to be stripped of his CBE
- Members of Parliament have called for Harvey Weinstein’s CBE to be revoked
- He was made an honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2004
- Honours can be forfeited if someone has brought the system into disrepute
- Downing Street said ‘unwanted sexual behaviour is completely unacceptable’
Boris Johnson has condemned Harvey Weinstein following his conviction for rape and sexual assault as pressure continued to grow for the disgraced movie mogul to be stripped of his CBE.
Weinstein was made an honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2004 for services to the film industry.
MPs from all parties have demanded that he forfeit the honour and today Downing Street added to the outcry.
Harvey Weinstein after he received his CBE at an investiture ceremony at the residence of the British Consul General in New York City, November 2004
Weinstein met the Queen at a reception in Buckingham Palace in February 2014
Number 10 made clear that the decision to takeaway a CBE was ultimately a matter for the independent honours forfeiture committee.
But the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Weinstein’s behaviour was ‘completely unacceptable’ in comments which will be seen as supporting calls for the honour to be removed.
The PM’s spokesman said: ‘It’s a matter for the independent honours forfeiture committee to consider cases where the honours system has been brought into disrepute.
‘We are crystal clear that any unwanted sexual behaviour is completely unacceptable and we condemn sexual violence in all of its forms.’
Number 10’s intervention comes after numerous MPs demanded Weinstein now lose the honour.
Dawn Butler, Labour’s equalities spokesman, said: ‘Weinstein should have been stripped of his honours a long time ago, but now he’s been found guilty there’s no excuse.’
Tory former minister George Freeman echoed a similar sentiment as he said: ‘Let us take this moment to send a clear message that this sort of behaviour will not be condoned or tolerated any more in this country.’
Honours can be forfeited when a person is considered to have brought the system into disrepute.
A spokesman for Boris Johnson, pictured in Downing Street yesterday, said of Weinstein’s conviction that ‘unwanted sexual behaviour is completely unacceptable’
Criteria can include the holder being jailed for three months or more, or being struck off by a professional body.
A recommendation is made by the Honours and Appointments Secretariat to the forfeiture committee which is made up of senior civil servants.
The final decision to takeaway an honour must be approved by the Queen.
Weinstein has already been kicked out of industry bodies including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which runs the Oscars, and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, which organises the Baftas.
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