The New Year Honours 2000 for the United Kingdom and New Zealand were announced on 31 December 1999, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 2000. The Honours list is a list of people who have been awarded one of the various orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom. Honours are split into classes ("orders") and are graded to distinguish different degrees of achievement or service, most medals are not graded. The awards are presented to the recipient in one of several investiture ceremonies at Buckingham Palace throughout the year by the Sovereign or her designated representative. The Prince of Wales (now Charles III) and The Princess Royal deputised for The Queen.

The orders, medals and decorations are awarded by various honours committees which meet to discuss candidates identified by public or private bodies, by government departments or who are nominated by members of the public. Depending on their roles, those people selected by committee are submitted either to the prime minister, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, or Secretary of State for Defence for their approval before being sent to the Sovereign for final approval. As the "fount of honour" the monarch remains the final arbiter for awards. In the case of certain orders such as the Order of the Garter and the Royal Victorian Order they remain at the personal discretion of the Queen.

The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and arranged by honour, with classes (Knight, Knight Grand Cross, etc.) and then divisions (Military, Civil, etc.) as appropriate.

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Life peers

In the 2000 New Year Honours list 6 people were made Life Peers through being made a Baron or Baroness. Sir John Birt, Director-General, BBC. The Right Honourable Sir Leon Brittan, QC, lately Vice-President, European Commission. Sally Greengross, Lady Greengross, OBE, Director-General, Age Concern. Joel Goodman Joffe, CBE, Chairman, OXFAM. Adam Hafejee Patel, Vice President, Blackburn Community Relations Council and Counsellor, Muslim Council of Britain. Sir Charles David Powell, KCMG, Director, Jardine Matheson Holdings.

Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order with 65 members who have been rewarded for outstanding achievements in the arts, literature, music, science, politics, industry or religion; three people were invested into the order in this list. Richard Hamilton, artist. For services to Art. Doris Lessing, writer. For services to Literature. The Reverend Prebendary Edward Chad Varah, CBE, for services to The Samaritans.

Knights Bachelor

A Knight Bachelor is the rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry; 45 people were accorded this honour in this list. Professor Kurt George Matthew Mayer Alberti. For services to Diabetic Medicine. Professor John Evelyn Beringer, CBE, lately Chairman, Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment. For services to Environmental Safety. Winfried Franz Wilhelm Bischoff, Chairman, Schroders plc. For services to Banking. Professor Malcolm Stanley Bradbury, CBE. For services to Literature. Richard Charles Nicholas Branson. For services to Entrepreneurship. John Brown. For services to Ship Design in the 20th Century. Chow Chung-Kong, Chief Executive, GKN Ltd. For services to Industry. Sean Thomas Connery, Actor. For services to Film Drama. Henry Cooper, OBE. For services to Boxing. Josias Cunningham, DL. For political and public service. Alan Seymour Davies, JP, Headteacher, Copland Community School and Technology Centre, Brent, London. For services to Education. (knighthood later annulled) His Honour Judge Rhys Everson Davies, QC, Recorder of Manchester. For services to the Criminal Justice System. Jeremy Dixon. For services to Architecture. John Stanley Evans, QPM, Chief Constable, Devon and Cornwall Constabulary. For services to the Police. Richard Anthony Foster, DL, Director, National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside. For services to Museums. Professor Royston Miles Goode, CBE, QC. For services to Academic Law. Gerald Henry Gordon, CBE, QC, lately Sheriff of Glasgow and Strathkelvin. For services to Scottish Law. John Alistair Graham. For services to the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland. Professor Martin Best Harris, CBE, DL, Vice-Chancellor, University of Manchester. For services to Higher Education. Walter William Herbert. For services to Polar Exploration. Professor Charles Antony Richard Hoare, FRS. For services to Education and to Computer Science. Peter Nevile Wake Jennings, CVO, lately Serjeant-at-Arms, House of Commons. Harry George Jones, CBE. For services to Local Government. John Desmond Patrick Keegan, OBE, Historian. For services to Military History. David Philip Lane, FRS, FRSE. For services to Medical Science, especially Cancer Research. Bruce Liddington, Headteacher, Northampton School for Boys. For services to Education. Michael Thomas Lyons, Chief Executive, Birmingham City Council. For services to Local Government. Professor Michael Gideon Marmot. For services to Epidemiology and Understanding Health Inequalities. Kenneth Duncan Morrison, CBE. For services to the Food Retail Industry. Stirling Craufurd Moss, OBE. For services to Motor Racing. Nicholas Harold Lloyd Ridley. For pioneering services to Cataract Surgery. Ian Robinson, Chief Executive, Scottish Power plc. For services to the Electricity Industry. Stephen Arthur Robson, CB, Director, Finance, Regulation and Industry, HM Treasury. Alan Walter Rudge, CBE, FRS. For services to Engineering Research and to Industry. Professor Alec Wesley Skempton. For services to Engineering. Martin Sorrell, Group Chief Executive, WPP Group. For services to the Communications Industry. John Stevens, QPM, Deputy Commissioner, Metropolitan Police. For services to the Police. Alan Michael Sugar. For services to the Home Computer and Electronics Industry. Professor John Kenneth Tavener, Composer. For services to Music. Professor Maurice Vincent Wilkes. For services to Computing. Michael Wilshaw, Headteacher St Bonaventure's School, Newham, London. For services to Education. Norman Wisdom, OBE. For services to entertainment.

Diplomatic and Overseas list The Honourable Judge Christopher William Bellamy. For services to the development of the Court of First Instance of the European Communities. John Peter Jens Jonas, CBE, General Director, Bavarian State Opera. Howard Stringer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sony Corporation of America.

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is the fourth-most senior of the British Orders of Chivalry with three classes of member; 32 people were entered into the Order of the Bath in the 2000 New Years Honours List.

Knights Grand Cross (GCB) Military division Army General Sir Michael John Dawson Walker, KCB, CMG, CBE, ADC, General, late The Royal Anglian Regiment.

Knights Commander (KCB) Military division Navy Vice Admiral Paul Kenneth Haddacks Vice Admiral Alan William John West, DSC

Army Lt Gen Michael Alan Willcocks, CB, Late Royal Regiment of Artillery.

Air Force Air Marshal Christopher Charles Cotton Coville, CB, Royal Air Force.

Civil division Anthony Hilgrove Hammond, C.B., Q.C., H.M. Procurator General, Treasury Solicitor and Queen's Proctor. David Bruce Omand, Permanent Under-Secretary, Home Office. Richard John Packer, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

Companions (CB) Military division Navy Rear Admiral Andrew Bankes Gough Rear Admiral Simon Moore

Army The Rev Dr Victor Dobbin, MBE QHC, Royal Army Chaplains' Department. Maj Gen David John Malcolm Jenkins, CBE, late The Queen's Own Hussars. Maj Gen Andrew Robert Douglas Pringle, CBE Late The Royal Green Jackets. Maj Gen John George Reith, CBE Late The Parachute Regiment.

Air Force Air Vice-Marshal Peter William Henderson, MBE Royal Air Force. Air Vice-Marshal Philip Oliver Sturley, MBE Royal Air Force. Air Vice-Marshal John Hugh Thompson, Royal Air Force.

Civil division Henrietta Campbell, For Public Service. (Killinchy, Down) Edward William Frizzell, Lately Chief Executive, Scottish Prison Service, Scottish Executive. (Edinburgh) Norman Glass, Deputy Director, Public Services Directorate, HM Treasury. (Croydon, Surrey) David Holt, Director, Office for National Statistics. (Southampton, Hampshire) Catherine Elizabeth Johnston, Parliamentary Counsel, Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. (London, W4) Peter Robert Joyce, Inspector General and Chief Executive, The Insolvency Service, Department of Trade and Industry. (Croydon, Surrey) Leigh Warren Lewis, Chief Executive, Employment Service, Department for Education and Employment. (Watford, Hertfordshire) Richard Guy Moberly Manning, Director General (Resources), Department for International Development. (Esher, Surrey) David John Normington, Director general for Schools, Department for Education and Employment. (Woldingham, Surrey) Mrs Diane Susan Phillips, Director, Roads and Traffic Directorate, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. (Weybridge, Surrey) Simon Henry Martin Ricketts, Lately Grade 3, Ministry of Defence. (London) Marianne Teresa Neville-Rolfe, Lately Regional Director, Government Office for the North West, Department of Trade and Industry. (Congleton, Cheshire) Peter John Small, For public service. (Bangor, Down) David Stanton, Divisional Director, Department of Social Security. (Richmond, Surrey) Frederick John Alford Warne, Director, Organised and International Crime Directorate, Home Office. (Bromley, Kent)

The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George

The Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George is an order of chivalry used to honour individuals who have rendered important services in relation to Commonwealth or foreign nations; 16 people were appointed members of the order in the list.

Knights Grand Cross (GCMG) Diplomatic division Sir Andrew Marley Wood, KCMG, HM Ambassador, Moscow.

Knights Commander (KCMG) Diplomatic division David Brian Carleton Logan, CMG HM Ambassador, Ankara. Thomas Legh Richardson, CMG HM Ambassador, Rome. Robert Peter Wilson, For services to British interests overseas.

Companions (CMG) Diplomatic division Michael Edgar Cook, High Commissioner, Kampala. Robert Davies, Director, The Prince of Wales's Business Leaders' Forum. Maj Gen Karol John Drewienkiewicz, CB Lately chief of Operations, OSCE Kosovo. Verification Mission. Victor Joseph Henderson, HM Ambassador, Sana'a. Alan Richmond Ingle, Head, Joint Diplomatic Service Management Office, Brussels. Ann Walford Lewis, Counsellor, Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Ian Linden, Executive director, Catholic Institute for International Relations. Stephen Thomas Nash, HM Ambassador, Riga. Robert Ramsay, Lately Director-General, European Parliament. Professor Helen Sarah Wallace, For services to the development of European studies. Peter John Westmacott, LVO Director, Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Julian Paul Geoffrey Wiseman, Counsellor, Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Royal Victorian Order

The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms; admission remains in the personal gift of the monarch. In the 2000 New Years Honours list 28 people were entered into the four hierarchical grades of the order as well as 10 people awarded the Royal Victorian Medal.

Knights Commander (KCVO) Anthony James Merifield, CB Ceremonial Officer, Cabinet Office.

Commanders (CVO) Surgeon Rear Admiral Ian Lawrence Jenkins, Overseas Tour Doctor to The Prince of Wales.