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Honours System (Reform)

: When the hon. Gentleman makes reference to the description ““grey””, I am unsure whether he is referring to the OBE or to his former Conservative colleague. I was not particularly sensitive about the nomenclature proposed or whether it was any better or worse than using the word ““empire””. However, when I heard the hon. Gentleman's description of what he felt about that word and why he felt it should remain, and his view of the empire, my mind might have been changed. We might need to bring things up to speed in the 21st century.