Hundreds of thousands have called for former prime minister Tony Blair to be stripped of his knighthood.
The accolade was given to the former Labour leader in the New Year Honours List.
Blair – whose title is now formally Sir Tony – was made a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. He welcomed the appointment on Twitter, calling it an “immense honour”.
However opinion is split over whether or not the former prime minister, who was in power from 1997 to 2007, deserves the prestigious title.
A petition calling for the politician’s knighthood to be stripped has got over 600,000 signatures at the time of writing.
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Started by Angus Scott, the petition reads: “Tony Blair caused irreparable damage to both the constitution of the United Kingdom and to the very fabric of the nation’s society. He was personally responsible for causing the death of countless innocent, civilian lives and servicement in various conflicts. For this alone he should be held accountable for war crimes. [sic]
“Tony Blair is the least deserving person of any public honour, particularly anything awarded by Her Majesty the Queen.”
The petition’s statement concluded with a plea to Boris Johnson to petition the Queen to have Blair’s honour removed.
Similar sentiment spilled out on social media, with one Twitter user calling him “repugnant”:
However not everyone agrees.
Labour leader Keir Starmer toldGood Morning Britain that Sir Tony “deserves the honour”.
He added: “I haven’t got time to list this morning all his many achievements, which I think vastly improved our country.”
Indy100 has contacted the Tony Blair Institute for comment.