Today, Rachel Riley was at Windsor Castle being “honoured” with an MBE (knighthood) for helping to elect a Tory govt currently trying to make it illegal for refugees fleeing persecution to seek asylum in the UK.
Sir Alok, a former Conservative cabinet member, has been MP for Reading West since 2010 and also served as president for Cop26, the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Glasgow.
He has remained vocal on environmental policy and last week called on the Government to remain committed to an £11.6 billion climate pledge.
Fellow MP Sir Tony Lloyd, who holds a Labour seat in Rochdale, will also be honoured for his public service – having represented his party since the early 1980s.
Rachel Riley and Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis have both received Britain’s highest honours in a special ceremony at Windsor Castle.
Rabbi Mirvis was given a knighthood by King Charles in the 2023 New Years Honours list for his “significant services to the Jewish community, to interfaith relations and to education”.
Rachel Riley received an MBE at Windsor Castle on Wednesday for her work in raising awareness of the Holocaust and combating antisemitism.
The Countdown presenter, 37, was honoured for her services to Holocaust education as an avid campaigner in the New Year Honours list.
As part of his work in interfaith relations since being appointed, Chief Rabbi Mirvis has organised ground-breaking Jewish and Muslim interfaith workshops and has travelled to Greece and India and, most recently, went on a historic visit to the UAE.
He also spoke at a London mosque to call for unity following the terrorist attack on a Muslim place of worship in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019.
In addition, Chief Rabbi Mirvis has spoken up for China’s persecuted Uyghur Muslim population.
Speaking at the time of receiving the news of his knighthood in January, he said: “I am enormously honoured and deeply humbled by this award.
Actor and broadcaster Harewood, best known for his role in US drama series Homeland, was recognised in the honours list with an OBE for services to drama and charity after he became a prominent voice for mental health support and against racism.
He said on Instagram: “An award from a new King should be cause for massive celebration, and yet already I hear the chorus of self defeating voices rattling around my head, thoughts of ‘Empire’ and subjugation confusing the picture and again shifting the earth underneath.
Riley, who has co-hosted the Channel 4 show since 2009, was paid £10,000 in damages by Mr Corbyn’s former aide, Laura Murray, following a High Court libel case in August last year.
In 2019, she explained the abuse she received on social media as a public figure during a speech for the Holocaust Educational Trust in Westminster, with her mother being Jewish.
Riley wrote on Twitter after the honour’s announcement: “Incredibly proud to have just been awarded an MBE for services to Holocaust education.
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