Entertainment

Jez Butterworth turned down OBE over government’s EU Referendum pledge

He joins a list of celebrities who have rejected honours.
He joins a list of celebrities who have rejected honours. He joins a list of celebrities who have rejected honours.

Playwright Jez Butterworth has revealed he rejected an OBE after David Cameron promised to hold the EU Referendum.

The Jerusalem creator, 48, told The Sunday Times he turned down the honour “because I wasn’t going to take a f****** OBE off the Conservative government, which was about to hold this f****** referendum”.

In 2013 when he was Prime Minister, Cameron promised to hold a referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union. He repeated the pledge during the 2015 General Election campaign and included it in the Conservative Party’s manifesto.

The Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards – London
The Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards – London
(Left to right) Ian Rickson, Mark Rylance, with his Best Actor award in Jerusalem, Jez Butterworth with his Best New Play award and Dominic Cooke, artistic Director of the Royal Court at The Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards, at the Prince Of Wales Theatre in central London (Yui Mok/PA)

Butterworth said the decision was made a couple of years ago and joins a list of celebrities who have turned down honours including film makers Danny Boyle and Ken Loach.

When he was alive David Bowie turned down a knighthood and Paul Weller had previously rejected a CBE.