Furious fashion designer bins her CBE and says she's 'disgusted to be British'

21 February 2024 , 13:43

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Katherine Hamnett has binned her CBE over the conflict in Gaza (Image: (Image: Instagram / katherinehamnett))

Fashion designer Katharine Hamnett has thrown her CBE in the bin in protest against the UK's "role in the genocide in Gaza".

The designer famously wore an anti-nuclear slogan T-shirt to a meeting with Margaret Thatcher in 1984. In her latest protest, she wore a black top that read: "Disgusted to be British." In a video on Instagram, she said: "I'm disgusted to be British for our role in genocide in Gaza."

She then threw her CBE into a bin, saying it belonged there: "This is my CBE. It belongs in the dustbin, with Sunak and Starmer." After getting rid of her honour, she urged people to contact their MP and demand a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, adding: “Find your MP and tell them you will never vote for them again unless they support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.”

Hamnett tosses the CBE medal into the bin ((Image: Instagram))

Hamnett was made Commander of the ­Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2011 New Year’s honours list. She was made a CBE by the late Queen in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace wearing a dramatic large red feathered hat that obscured much of her face. When Queen Elizabeth died in 2022, she shared a photo from the ceremony on Instagram captioned: “Elizabeth the Great. RIP.”

It's not the first time that she has made similar comments. In 2008, she said she was "ashamed to be British" because Gordon Brown's brother worked for EDF Energy, which generated much of its power from nuclear.

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According to the Cabinet Office, it is possible to renounce an honour, but a recipient still holds it until the King agrees to annul it. As a result, placing a CBE in the bin is only a token gesture until formal action is taken by the monarch.

Rom Preston-Ellis