Jack Walters
Guest Reporter
Tory donor Lord Rami Ranger has been stripped of his CBE after being accused of harassing a journalist and making a series of derogatory comments on social media.
Lord Ranger, 76, was among six honour holders included in today's London Gazette update.
The London Gazette's notice confirmed that King Charles III had directed that the businessman's Commander of the Order of the British Empire would be "cancelled and annulled".
Ranger, who donated around £1.5million to the Conservative Party, was handed the gong for services to business and community cohesion in 2016.
The Tory peer was ennobled in Theresa May's 2019 resignation honours.
However, Ranger briefly lost the Tory whip after being censured by the standards commissioner over his conduct towards an Indian journalist Poonam Joshi.
Lord Ranger apologised to Joshi after calling her “toxic”, “a total nutcase”, and “the epitome of filth and garbage”.
The Conservatives restored the whip to Lord Ranger in November this year.
Despite apologising for his actions, the Forfeiture Committee considered his behaviour combined with the fact he was made a CBE for his work on community cohesion meant it was appropriate for him to forfeit his honour.
Following his row with Joshi, Ranger said: "In this report, the commissioner has found my behaviour fell short of the high standards I expect of myself, and which others expect of me as a sitting member of the House of Lords. I have expressed my remorse and I apologise to Ms Joshi.
"The investigation process and reading and reflecting on the report has had a profound and lasting effect on me. I will continue to self-reflect and learn from this experience."
Joshi also issued an apology after describing Lord Ranger as "a disgrace to the entire Hindu community" and accusing him of having "bought" his peerage through donations to the Conservative Party.
A number of other honour-holders were also stripped of their various titles in today's London Gazette update.
Anil Kumar Bhanot, Lam Shiu-kum, Nigel Jones, Robert Cameron Johnston and Michael Andrea were all included in the notice.
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Lord Ranger, 76, was among six honour holders included in today's London Gazette update.
The London Gazette's notice confirmed that King Charles III had directed that the businessman's Commander of the Order of the British Empire would be "cancelled and annulled".
Ranger, who donated around £1.5million to the Conservative Party, was handed the gong for services to business and community cohesion in 2016.
The Tory peer was ennobled in Theresa May's 2019 resignation honours.
However, Ranger briefly lost the Tory whip after being censured by the standards commissioner over his conduct towards an Indian journalist Poonam Joshi.
Lord Ranger apologised to Joshi after calling her “toxic”, “a total nutcase”, and “the epitome of filth and garbage”.
The Conservatives restored the whip to Lord Ranger in November this year.
Despite apologising for his actions, the Forfeiture Committee considered his behaviour combined with the fact he was made a CBE for his work on community cohesion meant it was appropriate for him to forfeit his honour.
Following his row with Joshi, Ranger said: "In this report, the commissioner has found my behaviour fell short of the high standards I expect of myself, and which others expect of me as a sitting member of the House of Lords. I have expressed my remorse and I apologise to Ms Joshi.
"The investigation process and reading and reflecting on the report has had a profound and lasting effect on me. I will continue to self-reflect and learn from this experience."
Joshi also issued an apology after describing Lord Ranger as "a disgrace to the entire Hindu community" and accusing him of having "bought" his peerage through donations to the Conservative Party.
A number of other honour-holders were also stripped of their various titles in today's London Gazette update.
Anil Kumar Bhanot, Lam Shiu-kum, Nigel Jones, Robert Cameron Johnston and Michael Andrea were all included in the notice.
Find Out More...