Senior figures, including DUP leader Gavin Robinson and Ulster Unionist leader Jon Burrows, advocate removing Donaldson’s knighthood and Privy Council membership without delay, insisting accountability under the law.

A Forfeiture Committee reviews cases, the Prime Minister submits recommendations to the King, and if approved, a formal notice of forfeiture is published in the London Gazette; honourees must return insignia and cannot reference the honour in the future.

The rationale is that honours recipients should be role models; criminal convictions or disrepute trigger forfeiture, anchored in ongoing political and constitutional mechanisms.

Gavin Robinson described Donaldson as guilty of abusing trust and stressed support for victims and upholding the rule of law.

Prominent figures are calling for the removal of both knighthood and Privy Council membership, citing that no title should shield a person from legal scrutiny.

Donaldson led the DUP in Parliament for decades, returned to leadership after suspending his party in 2024, and was a central figure in Stormont politics prior to his conviction.

The committee can consider offences with no time limit, applying to both trial and facts-trial sexual offences, reflecting standard grounds for removing state honours.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has been convicted of 18 historical sexual offences against two women who were children, prompting renewed calls to revoke his knighthood.

Public discussion is under way about revoking Donaldson’s knighthood after his conviction, with widespread calls to forfeit his honours.

Media reports focus on Donaldson’s conviction at Newry Crown Court for 18 historical sexual offences against two child victims, fueling the debate over forfeiture.

Donaldson, former DUP leader, was appointed to the Privy Council in 2007 and knighted in the 2016 Birthday Honours.

Robinson and Burrows argue that all state honours should be stripped without delay, asserting that no rank or past office shields anyone from accountability.