King Charles urged to strip council chief’s OBE after honours removed

There have been calls to remove Anne Donaghy’s OBE after she was convicted of deleting an email under the Freedom of Information Act.

Donaghy received the honour in The Queen’s Birthday 2020 Honours List for services to local government and the community during the coronavirus pandemic.

She was formerly the chief executive of Mid and East Antrim Council in Northern Ireland.

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However, the honour is now being questioned after the 56-year-old was convicted of two charges at Ballymena Magistrates’ Court last month.

These were deleting an email and having procured the deletion of an email to prevent the disclosure of information through the FoI Act.

Anne Donaghy, former chief executive of Mid and East Antrim Council (Image: Mark Marlow/PA Wire)

Donaghy was fined £750 for each of the two charges she was convicted of. Her legal team has said she will “vehemently contest” the findings.

Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows said he has written to the Cabinet Office “calling for the forfeiture of her OBE” that she received in 2020 for services to local government.

Mr Burrows said: “Let’s be clear.

“That honour was given for services to local government, and now Anne is convicted in relation to her duties as a chief executive in local government I believe that OBE should be stripped, and I have written to the Cabinet Office to that effect.”

In a statement a spokesperson for Mid and East Antrim Council said it is “committed to the highest standards of governance, transparency and information management”.

Cllr Liam Walker (Image: Supplied)

“We acknowledge the verdict and will carefully consider the outcome and any implications arising from it,” they added.

This comes after King Charles has removed 10 honours so far this year.

This includes one knighthood, from Jeffrey Donaldson who was the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party between 2021 and 2024 and has appeared at the Oxford Union, participating in a well-publicised debate in 2004.

However, in June he was convicted of historical child sex abuse offences at Newry Crown Court after which he had his honour removed.

Jeffrey Donaldson (Image: Brian Lawless/PA Wire)

His solicitor John McBurney confirmed that papers have been lodged for an appeal.

Reacting to this, the leader of the Oxfordshire Conservatives Mr Walker said: “Honours are awarded to recognise outstanding service and achievement, and anyone convicted of serious criminal offences has forfeited the privilege of holding them.

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“Stripping those honours helps protect the integrity and value of the honours system.”

Reasons for removing honours includes professional censure, a criminal conviction and bringing the honours system into disrepute.

Rugby star Stuart Hogg had his MBE removed in March 2026 after being convicted of domestic abuse and former training provider boss and renowned entrepreneur Angela Middleton was stripped of her MBE following an investigation into her companies.