𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Honours will be handed to a National Trust boss who asked staff to wear rainbow colours to mark Pride, and oversaw the listing of Chartwell, the former home of Winston Churchill, as a property linked to slavery.

Also in line to receive a gong is a Police Chief who intervened in favour of an ethnic minority recruit who failed her job interview, and was hired anyway.

Hilary McGrady the director-general of the National Trust, is set to receive a CBE for service to heritage, despite facing accusations that she has allowed the politicisation of the organisation under her leadership.

Ms McGrady, who was appointed in 2018, has overseen a review of properties under the Trust’s care which examined their links to the slave trade. The 2020 report listed the former Prime Minister’s residents as among those connected to slavery. It did so because Churchill was a former colonial secretary.

The decision sparked a backlash from members, with critics claiming the Trust was conducting a “witch-hunt” into the lives of past owners. A grassroots campaign group called Restore Trust was subsequently established in opposition to what it described as a woke agenda taking over the organisation.

Ms McGrady has also faced criticism for asking staff to wear rainbow colours to mark Pride month, with opponents arguing she has moved the Trust away from its core mission of heritage preservation.

John Robins, the chief constable of West Yorkshire Police, has been knighted for services to policing. Sir John has been a controversial figure, with critics accusing him of being “obsessed by race” after he intervened to ensure an ethnic minority candidate who failed her interview was hired regardless.

He was named in an investigation by the Daily Telegraph, which revealed that white British candidates were being blocked from recruitment under a plan by Sir John to boost diversity in his force.

Sir John later said that he felt the “time has now come that legislation should change so that we should [use] positive discrimination.”

The revelations earlier this year prompted accusations that he had “lost the plot” in his pursuit of diversity targets.

The honours list, which recognises individuals for their contributions to public service, will be officially announced in the coming days.

Both Ms McGrady and Sir John are among hundreds of recipients who will receive their awards in recognition of their work in their respective fields.