The golf grand slam winner – who took home this year’s Sports Personality of the Year – was a surprise omission from the Honours list and reports suggest there may have been a reason
Rory McIlroy has reportedly been snubbed in the New Year Honours List after an intervention by tax officials.
The BBC Sports Personality of the Year winner was a surprise omission from the list after becoming the first European to win all four golfing majors.
He is the first Sports Personality winner in almost a decade to miss out on an honour in the same year. The reasons for his omission are unclear, although earlier in his career he was reportedly among high-profile individuals investigated by the HMRC over tax relief schemes.
They invested in regeneration projects using the government’s Business Premises Renovation Allowance (BPRA) programme to receive tax relief. There was nothing illegal about the schemes, but the HMRC later investigated whether some of them unfairly exploited the tax benefits.
The HMRC reportedly raises “red fags” with the Cabinet Office if there are any reasons not to honour an individual.
A spokesman for McIlroy, who was made an MBE after winning his first major in 2011, did not respond to requests for comment.
PM Sir Keir Starmer faces criticism after England footballers Chloe Kelly and Hannah Hampton were also left off the list. He had suggested that all of the Lionesses would be honoured for their Euros victory.