Blair pledge to honour ordinary people fails

Tony Blair has failed to keep his promise to shake up the honours system and reward ordinary people, a leaked internal Whitehall report says.

Diplomats, civil servants and military officers are still much more likely to be knighted, raised to the peerage or appointed CBE than teachers, nurses or other public workers.

Women and members of ethnic minorities have barely increased their representation, according to the report, written for the head of the Home Civil Service, which will be published today by the Public Administration Select Committee. The Wilkinson Report blames Mr Blair for failing to intervene to make the system more representative of the population.

One diplomat in 123 and one home civil servant in 3,125 can expect an honour while only one nurse in 20,000 and one teacher in 15,000 can expect a similar mark of official recognition, the report, marked "Restricted Honours", finds. It says that women are still under-represented, and that the Prime Minister is aware of this. "These figures are always drawn to the attention of the Prime Minister by the head of the Home Civil Service when he submits each list," the report says. "We are still a long way from parity."

In the New Year Honours list of 1998, 34 per cent of honours below the level of CBE were bestowed on women. In the honours list of 2003 that number had shrunk to 32 per cent.

In New Year 1998, 2.6 per cent of honours below the level of CBE went to ethnic minorities and in this year's New Year Honours list that number was 6.5 per cent. For higher honours, which have only been measured since 1999, the figures are far lower. Minority ethnic groups were rewarded with 3.3 per cent of higher honours in New Year 1999, and 1.9 per cent this year.

Downing Street has said that it is committed to ensuring that ordinary people, such as teachers and nurses, are rewarded with honours.