David Beckham was told to sort out his taxes if he wanted a knighthood, leaked emails have revealed. The former England captain was on the verge of being knighted in the 2014 New Year's Honours list until a secret 'red flag' warning from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) scuppered his nomination.
The Honours Committee had already agreed that Beckham's nomination was 'merited', but a routine check of his tax affairs flagged him as a 'red' risk. A source close to the committee told the Mail: 'HMRC gives us a flag – it's red, amber or green. Beckham was a red. His taxes were the problem.'
Beckham was one of dozens of wealthy celebrities who invested in the Ingenious Media scheme, which HMRC labelled a tax avoidance vehicle. The leaked emails show that the Honours Committee entered into dialogue with Beckham's advisers to 'sort out' the issue, suggesting high-profile individuals can be told what they need to do to secure a knighthood.
The emails, released by the Football Leaks website, also reveal Beckham's angry reaction when he learned he had been passed over in 2013. He reportedly denounced the committee members as 'a bunch of c***s' and branded the honours system 'a f***ing joke'. The leaked documents also include a claim that Beckham said singer Katherine Jenkins got an OBE for 'singing at the rugby and going to see the troops plus taking coke'.
Beckham's PR chief Simon Oliveira wrote to him in 2013, saying HMRC had 'placed a flag' on his knighthood nomination. Oliveira added: 'At the moment, I have done a decent job to keep your name away from it. But in the meantime the f***ers behind the scenes are putting pressure on people like you to settle – this Honours Committee thing a perfect example.'
