Former British prime minister Tony Blair’s ennoblement, courtesy of the UK’s Queen Elizabeth II, has been defended by British House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle.
Sir Tony, rather than Sir Anthony, as he is now known, has been made a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter 14 years after leaving Downing Street.
However, the honor has been criticized by Blair’s political opponents and those who argue that the legacy of his invasion of Iraq in 2003 makes him unsuitable.
Hoyle on Saturday morning said he felt that the honor, the oldest and most senior British order of chivalry,