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Tim Martin, an ardent Brexit backer and founder of the pub chain Wetherspoons, is reported to be knighted in the King’s New Year Honours in 2024. Reports stated that the 68-year-old businessman has been nominated for services to business.
The reports of the businessman's knighthood have been receiving mixed reactions on social media, with one person asking on X (formerly Twitter), "How much more debased can the honors system get?"
According to The Independent, Tim Martin, a friend of former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, opened his first pub in 1979 in Muswell Hill, north London. Wetherspoon has now branched out to more than 800 pubs in the UK and Ireland.
Netizens have mixed reactions to reports of Tim Martin's knighthood
Social media seemed divided on how to take the reports of Tim Martin's knighthood. While some said that he deserved it, others were confused about why he was getting a knighthood. Here are some of the reactions on X:
According to The Daily Mail, several right-wing politicians congratulated Tim Martin on the honor, with former politician Nigel Farage calling him "an entrepreneur" who ran a "great company."
Former Cabinet minister David Jones said:
"Tim Martin played a big part in the Brexit campaign. He was in tune with the national sentiment and understood the desire of the British people to recover their independence. The honour is well deserved and long overdue."
Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, a member of the Conservative Party, said he was delighted to learn of Martin's knighthood.
"I am delighted to hear this as Tim not only was brave enough to take up the political cudgels in support of the majority of the British people but he also brings daily cheer to people's lives through the good value provided by his pubs. A true British paladin."
The Cabinet Office declined to comment, The Daily Mail reported. A spokesperson, however, said:
"It would be in inappropriate to comment on speculation regarding potential honours recipients. The honours list will be published shortly in the usual way."
Tim Martin was reportedly recommended for knighthood by the Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch
According to The Independent, Kemi Badenoch, Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pushed for Tim Martin's candidacy for knighthood, stating that it was "wrong" for successful entrepreneurs to be "overlooked by the Establishment" because they supported Brexit.
Besides being a business tycoon, Tim Martin is also very politically vocal and an avid supporter of Brexit. He argued that the EU was becoming less democratic in pursuit of an “ever-closer union,” which in turn was suppressing economic growth and flourishment.
He donated £200,000 to the Vote Leave campaign during the 2016 referendum. He was frequently seen campaigning for Brexit along with his close friend Boris Johnson. The Daily Mail reported that he also backed Johnson's candidacy for Prime Minster.
When asked if he ever regretted supporting Brexit, he said:
"Have I regrets? No, I think, for humanity to survive, I think we need democracy. We need democracy in China. We need democracy in Russia, especially in the nuclear age - and my bone to pick with the EU is you don’t elect the president by universal suffrage and MEPs can’t initiate legislation and the ECJ, the court, isn’t accountable to Parliament.”
Tim Martin faced his fair share of controversy during the pandemic. He reportedly clashed with the Ministers over lockdown protocol, saying that people were more likely to catch the virus in their homes than in one of his pubs.
He is infamously known for his refusal to pay his 40,000 employees during the lockdown, telling them to work at Tesco as supermarkets were hiring people at the time. According to the Independent, he said:
“I know that all our trade now has gone to supermarkets. Not only our trade, but the trade from cafés, leisure centres, restaurants, etcetera. So we have had lots of calls from supermarkets – Tesco alone want 20,000 people to join them. That’s half the amount of people who work in our pubs."
Born on April 28, 1955, in Norwich, Tim Martin was the son of a Guinness executive. His first pub in Muswell Hill was named Martin's Free House but was later changed to Wetherspoons, after a teacher of Martin's who said he'd never amount to anything. Today, JD Wetherspoon, which saw a turnover of £1.9 billion in 2022, operates over 800 pubs nationwide.
