WHITEHALL chiefs are to review the honours list system following yet more leaks – but denied the process was becoming politicised in light of several awards to senior Conservative figures and donors.

Sir Jonathan Stephens, Permanent Secretary at the Northern Ireland Office, who chairs the main honours committee, said the early release of details of some recipients was “unfortunate and disappointing”.

Tory election guru Lynton Crosby, jockey A P McCoy and Barbara Windsor, who becomes a dame, were published days before the official release. Last year, the same happened with recipients Esther Rantzen, John Hurt and James Corden.

Sir Jonathan said: “The leaks are disappointing; most of all because we ask each of the recipients to keep the award confidential and they do so, of course, and it’s just disappointing for them when something is pre-empted like that.

“Each year and each time we look to see what efforts we can make to tighten it still further and we’ll look at that again.”

It was suggested that, given the regularity of the leaks, some might suspect that David Cameron was sanctioning them to help his friends in the media but Sir Jonathan replied: “We look to tighten procedures each year and we’ll look again.”

“It’s worth emphasising the leaks are unfortunate, they’re disappointing, they’re of a very small number of people. We look each year at the circulation list…and we will go back and look again at that."

The awarding of a knighthood to Sir Lynton, the Australian strategist credited with masterminding the Tory election victory at the General Election, has proved particularly controversial with critics saying the Prime Minister’s cronyism has brought the honours system into disrepute.

Among the recipients for “political service” this year are not only Sir Lynton but also: Mark McInnes, the director of the Scottish Conservatives and James Stewart, their treasurer, who receive CBEs; Lyndon Jones, deputy chairman of the Welsh Conservatives, who has been awarded an MBE; Spencer Pitfield, a “volunteer” at the Conservative Party and Marion Little, a “campaign specialist” at the Conservative Party, who have been given OBEs.

Businesswoman Jacqueline Gold, who runs Ann Summers and Knickerbox and who attended this year’s White and Black Ball for Tory donors, receives a CBE for “services to entrepreneurship” while Christopher Fenwick, a member of the wealthy retail family, who was recently deputy chairman of the Union and Cecil Club, which raises funds for the Conservative Party, receives an OBE for “political service”.

Meantime, Ayesha Hazarika, who was chief of staff to Harriet Harman, the former deputy Labour leader, receives an MBE.

At Westminster, knighthoods have also been given to Tory MP and former Foreign Office Minister Henry Bellingham and ex-Liberal Democrat Energy Secretary Ed Davey while Rosie Winterton, Labour’s chief whip, receives a damehood.

Asked if he feared the honours system was becoming too party politicised, Sir Jonathan said: “It’s always been possible to nominate people for political and parliamentary service…The process is more open and transparent than it’s ever been. I don’t think you can say 26(recipients) out of almost 1200 is taking over the list.”