The New Year Honours 2010 were announced on 31 December 2009 in the United Kingdom,[1][2] New Zealand,[3][4] Cook Islands,[5] Barbados,[6] Grenada,[7] Papua New Guinea,[8] Solomon Islands,[9] Saint Lucia,[10] Belize,[11] Antigua and Barbuda,[12] Saint Christopher and Nevis[13] and other Commonwealth realms to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 2010.
The 2010 New Year Honours were unusual in that none of the 121 Members of Parliament (MPs) who had announced their retirement at the next general election received honours.
This was perceived to be a reaction to a series of parliamentary scandals in 2009 which had diminished the public opinion of politicians.
[14][15] There were few honours for people from the financial services sector either, after controversy over high bonus payments despite the financial crisis.
(One notable exception was Dyfrig John, a former deputy chairman/chief executive of HSBC, a bank which did not require a taxpayer bail-out.