England Soccer Captain, Monty Python Comic Earn U.K. Honors

England’s soccer captain Harry Kane, top scorer at this year’s World Cup, was rewarded on the U.K. New Year’s Honors List, which included Monty Python comedian Michael Palin, “Handmaid’s Tale” author Margaret Atwood and London Stock Exchange Chairman Donald Brydon.

Former Cabinet minister John Redwood was granted a knighthood, potentially opening up Prime Minister Theresa May to criticism that she’s using honors to try to win over critics of her Brexit deal in her ruling Conservative Party. Opposition lawmakers accused her of doing just that when she granted former Transport Minister John Hayes the same honor in November.

Redwood has repeatedly spoken out against the terms May negotiated for the U.K.’s departure from the European Union; Parliament is scheduled to vote on her deal in January. Still, just two other lawmakers made the knighthood list: Gary Streeter, a Tory who supports May’s deal, and Alan Campbell from the opposition Labour Party. All three will be able to use the title “Sir.”
The list published Friday included honors for 1,148 Britons aged from 22 to 100, many rewarded for their work in areas ranging from beekeeping and prehistoric rock art to 3-D printing. Seventy percent of awards were for community work; 47 percent were to women and 12 percent to ethnic minorities, reflecting a push to be more representative of British society.