photographed with their awards. In some cases, members of the press may interview some of the more well-known people who have been honoured. Refusal In 2003, Sunday Times published a list of almost 300 people who had declined an honour between 1951 and 1999. In 2020, the Guardian reported based on a Freedom of Information request, that the number of people refusing an honour had more than doubled in the previous nine years. Notable examples Outgoing prime ministers: Neville Chamberlain declined an earldom and appointment as Knight of the Garter. Sir Winston Churchill declined a dukedom in order to remain in the House of Commons and to allow his son Randolph Churchill a political career. Sir Edward Heath declined a life peerage in order to remain in the House of Commons. Sir John Major declined a life peerage, saying elevation to the House of Lords was incompatible with retirement from politics. Sir Tony Blair declined a life peerage. Gordon Brown declined a life peerage. David Cameron declined a life peerage. Joseph Conrad, novelist John Cleese declined appointment as CBE and later declined a life peerage. Frank Pick declined both a knighthood and a peerage. David Bowie declined a knighthood. Graham Greene, novelist Stephen Hawking , physicist, reportedly turned down a knighthood because he "does not like titles." Benjamin Zephaniah declined an OBE, describing it as a legacy of colonialism. George Bernard Shaw declined an Order of Merit, replying that "merit" in authorship could only be determined by the posthumous verdict of history. Honor Blackman declined a CBE as she was a republican. Albert Finney, actor (in 2000; had previously declined CBE in 1980). John Lennon returned his MBE (awarded in 1965) in 1969, although no official provision exists for renouncing an honour. Geraldine McEwan declined a damehood. Vanessa Redgrave declined a damehood in 1999, but accepted it in 2022. She also accepted a CBE in 1967. Gareth Peirce declined a CBE. Revocation Honours are sometimes revoked (forfeited), for example if a recipient is subsequently convicted of a serious criminal offence. The Honours Forfeiture Committee is an ad hoc committee convened under the chairmanship of the Head of the Home Civil Service, to consider cases where information has been received which indicates an individual is unsuitable to hold an award. Sometimes the original decision to grant an honour was made on the basis of inaccurate information (including through manipulation of the