1997 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours


The 1997 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours were officially announced in two supplements to The London Gazette of 1 August 1997 and marked the May 1997 resignation of the Prime Minister, John Major.
A notable omission from the list was Norman Lamont, who was overlooked for a life peerage in what was seen as a snub for the former Chancellor of the Exchequer who had become one of Major's most prominent critics. Despite this, Major’s successor as leader William Hague appointed Lamont to the Lords the following year.
Included in the announced list were new "working peers": 31 new Labour life peers recommended by Tony Blair to reduce the Tory majority; Paddy Ashdown, the Liberal Democrat leader, recommended 11 new Liberal Democrat life peers; five were recommended by William Hague, the new Conservative Leader.
The recipients of the major classes of honours are displayed below, as they were styled before their new honour, and arranged by honour.

Life peerages

Conservative "working peers"

Labour "working peers"

Liberal Democrat "working peers"

Knights Bachelor

Order of the Companions of Honour

Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH)

Order of St Michael and St George

Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG)

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG)

  • John Holmes, Private Secretary, Prime Minister's Office

Order of the British Empire

Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)

Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)

  • Mark Adams, Private Secretary, Prime Minister's Office
  • John Bridge, Constituency chairman to John Major
  • Trevor Butler, Detective Superintendent, Metropolitan Police Service
  • Daniel Finkelstein, Director of Research, Conservative Central Office
  • Gina Hearn, Constituency Secretary to John Major
  • Charles Lewington, Former Director of Communications, Conservative Central Office
  • Eileen, Lady Strathnaver, Former Special Adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister, Michael Heseltine
  • William Geoffrey Thompson, Managing Director of Blackpool Pleasure Beach
  • Andrew Woods, Former agent to John Major
  • Moira Wallace, Private Secretary, Number 10

Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

  • Deborah Ailes, Senior Personal Secretary, Prime Minister's Office
  • Noelle Berney, Co-ordinator of Kurdish Life Aid
  • Maureen Bick, Cleaner, Prime Minister's Office
  • James Bridge, Former Assistant Political Secretary, Prime Minister's Office
  • Penelope Brook, Head of Speakers' Department, Conservative Central Office
  • Christine Ferns, Switchboard Supervisor, Prime Minister's Office
  • Vanessa Ford, Head of Chairman's Office, Conservative Central Office
  • Sheila Gunn, Press Officer, Conservative Central Office
  • Leading Wren Linda Lalley, Stewardess at Chequers
  • Judy Moorhouse, Former Secretary to the Political Secretary, Prime Minister's Office
  • Lorne Roper-Caldbeck, Secretary to Prime Minister's wife, Norma Major
  • Robert Rumble, Driver to Prime Minister John Major
  • Arabella Warburton, Former Personal Assistant in the Prime Minister's Office
  • Michael York, Messenger, Prime Minister's Office