Benjamin Zephaniah Convinces Journalist to Return MBE Live on Air (2003)

On 27 November 2003, poet and author Benjamin Zephaniah joined a live studio debate on Channel 4 News to discuss his decision to reject the OBE awarded to him by the late Queen. In conversation with ITN's Jon Snow, columnist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, and Conservative Peer Lord John Taylor, Zephaniah stated his case so convincingly that he persuaded Alibhai-Brown to return the MBE she had been awarded in 2001 for "services to journalism". It was announced on 7 December 2023 that Benjamin Zephaniah has died aged 65. #BenjaminZephaniah #OBE #MBE #Empire #Poetry #DubPoetry #Poem #Poems #UKPolitics To license the footage featured in this clip, follow the link below: https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/videos/... To search the ITN Archive collection on Getty Images, follow the link below: https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/footage... 🎥 Subscribe to our YouTube channel (tap the bell icon and stay up to date with all the latest ITN Archive videos!) -    / @itnarchive   🎥 Follow us on Twitter -   / itnarchive   🎥 Like us on Facebook -   / itnarchiveitnp   🎥 Check out our TikTok -   / itnarchive1955