It was three weeks ago that Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg demanded at Prime Minister’s Questions that the Government strip Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe of his knighthood:
What message does it send that a man who has brought ruin and starvation to his own country continues to be honoured by a knighthood from ours? Will the Prime Minister at least accept that it is difficult to put pressure on other countries to do their bit to bring the Mugabe regime to heel if we do not take this simple, basic step? Will he take immediate action to strip Mugabe of his knighthood?
At the time, Gordon Brown dismissed Nick’s call – “I am less interested in the symbols than in the substance.” – but his Foreign Secretary David Miliband has now taken Nick’s advice according to the BBC:
Foreign Secretary David Miliband recommended to the Queen that he be stripped of the honour – and the Queen has approved that request. Ministers are also trying to block a Zimbabwe cricket tour next year.
