Gordon Brown blocked an honorary knighthood for Apple founder Steve Jobs, it has emerged.
The then-Prime Minister refused to knight Mr Jobs in 2009 because he turned down an invitation to speak at the Labour Party conference, a former senior Labour MP said.
Mr Jobs was put forward for the honour by the MP for services to technology. Apple is credited with revolutionising the industry in recent years with its iPhone and iPad devices, which have unleashed a boom in mobile internet usage.
The former MP, who left Parliament at the last election, said: “Apple has been the only major global company to create stunning consumer products because it has always taken design as the key component of everything it has produced.
“No other CEO has consistently shown such a commitment.”
Apple was aware of the proposal, he said, and it reached the final stages of approval, but was rejected by Downing Street.
Mr Jobs was snubbed despite the 2005 award of an honorary knighthood to Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft and a long-term rival. His friend Bono, the U2 front man, who collaborated with Apple on a special charity edition iPod, is also an honorary KBE.
The former MP was told by Downing Street that the decision was related to a failed attempt to attract Mr Jobs to Labour’s annual conference. Given his status as a superstar of business and technology, such an appearance would have been viewed as a coup for Mr Brown.
A spokeswoman for the former Prime Minister said today: "Mr Brown did not block a knighthood for Steve Jobs".
She declined to discuss the incident further.
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
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