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Lingerie entrepreneur Joseph Corre has who was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours has turned down the award, saying that he found Prime Minister Tony Blair morrally corrupt.

39 year old Corre, the son of punk mentor Malcolm McLaren and fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood, is the co-founder of lingerie chain Agent Provocateur along with his wife Serena Rees who has also been awarded the MBE.

In a statement issued yesterday Joseph Corre said:

“Initially I was very flattered to have my work with Agent Provocateur recognised by the establishment.

It even gave me a kick to imagine what some of the bureaucrats and censors I have had to fight up to now must think.

However, after some serious reflection I have decided that I cannot accept it.

I have been chosen by an organisation headed by a prime minister who I find morally corrupt, who has been involved in organised lying to the point where thousands of people including children have suffered death, detention and torture in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Furthermore, against this backdrop, we are to have our hard-fought civil liberties eroded as a consequence (don’t forget Jean Charles de Menezes or our rights to habeas corpus).

To accept this MBE as an honour would mean to me that I would have to accept the prime minister as someone capable of giving an honour - ie, an honourable man, which I cannot find it in my heart to do.

This in no way reflects on my opinion of the Queen, whom I respect and would be honoured to have as a customer. In fact I think she would agree with me.

This has been a personal decision because the MBE is a personal award. [Co-founder] Serena Rees will make her own personal decision as to accepting this award.

However, the team at Agent Provocateur should all stand proud for what they have accomplished this far and they don’t need a medal to prove it.

Joseph Corre Knickers Forever!”

It was also announced by a spokesperson for the lingerie chain that Serena Rees is delighted with her award and will be accepting it.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, June 21st, 2007 at 9:15 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.