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The former England cricketer Geoffrey Boycott has said he "does not give a toss" about criticism of his knighthood from a leading domestic violence charity.
Responding to Adina Claire, the co-acting chief executive of Women's Aid, who described his knighthood as "extremely disappointing", Boycott told the Radio 4 Today programme presenter Martha Kearney: "I don't give a toss about her, love."
The honour sparked controversy because of his 1998 conviction for assaulting his then girlfriend, Margaret Moore.
A French court fined him £5,000 (sterling) and handed down a three-month suspended jail sentence.
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He has always denied the charge.
Claire said: “Celebrating a man who was convicted for assaulting his partner sends a dangerous message - that domestic abuse is not taken seriously as a crime.
“With increasing awareness of domestic abuse, and a domestic abuse bill ready to be taken forward by government, it is extremely disappointing that a knighthood has been recommended for Geoffrey Boycott, who is a convicted perpetrator of domestic abuse.”
Mrs May, who introduced a landmark domestic abuse bill to parliament earlier this year, gave Boycott a knighthood for services to sport in her resignation honours list.
A spokeswoman from the Woman’s Trust said: “It’s disappointing to see Geoffrey Boycott included in Theresa May’s honours list, given her vocal support for domestic abuse survivors and the domestic abuse bill.
“While we welcome the recent domestic abuse bill for its work to widen the definition of domestic abuse, the inclusion of Geoffrey Boycott in the honours list shows just how much our attitude as a society needs to change when it comes to supporting survivors.”
In an extraordinary exchange, Kearney asked why Boycott had not been given the honour sooner, and suggested that one reason could be the conviction.
The former cricketer proclaimed his innocence and cited his outspoken support for Brexit. He went on to say: “You can take your political nature and do whatever you want with it.”
He said: “25 years ago, love. In a French court, she tried to blackmail me for £1 million (sterling). I said no, because in England if you pay any money at all, we think: ‘Hang on, there must be something there.’ I said: ‘I’m not paying anything’ ? I’m not sure I’d actually got a million at the time.
"It's a court case in France where you're guilty, which is one of the reasons I [didn't] vote to remain in Europe - because you're guilty until you're proved innocent.
“That’s totally the opposite from England and it’s very difficult to prove you’re innocent in another country and another language.
“Most people in England don’t believe it. I didn’t do it. Move on. It’s a cross I have to bear, right or wrong, good or bad, I have to live with it. And I do, because I’m clear in my mind and I think most people in England are that it’s not true.
“I don’t care a toss about her, love. It was 25 years ago. You can take your political nature and do whatever you want with it. You want to talk to me about my knighthood. It’s very nice of you to have me, but I couldn’t give a toss.
"This is just recognition of my cricket. [It's] very nice, very honoured, thankful to Theresa May and I thank all the people that supported me and cared for me throughout my cricketing career."
Reacting to Boycott’s radio appearance, the Women’s Equality Party called for a “Boycott boycott”.
On the knighthood, a spokeswoman from the Woman’s Trust said: “It’s disappointing to see Geoffrey Boycott included in Theresa May’s honours list, given her vocal support for domestic abuse survivors and the domestic abuse bill.
“While we welcome the recent domestic abuse bill for its work to widen the definition of domestic abuse, the inclusion of Geoffrey Boycott in the honours list shows just how much our attitude as a society needs to change when it comes to supporting survivors.”
An estimated 1.3 million women and 695,000 men experienced domestic abuse in the past year, according to Office for National Statistics figures from November 2018. - Guardian