Stuart Hogg stripped of MBE following domestic abuse conviction
MP welcomes the announcement, and then asks: 'Why did it take so long?'
Last updated 5th Mar 2026
Former Scotland captain Stuart Hogg has been stripped of his MBE for services to rugby - following his conviction for domestic abuse.
The 33-year-old, who hails from Hawick, was awarded the honour in 2024 after earning 100 caps and becoming one of his country's all-time leading try scorers.
However, in November that year, he pleaded guilty to a five-year campaign of abuse against his then estranged wife and was subsequently given a one-year community payback order.
The offending took place between April 2019 and August 2024 at various locations including at addresses in the Scottish Borders.
Hogg, who now plays his rugby in France with Montpellier, was described as being ‘angry’ and ‘controlling’ during the relationship.
The court heard his abuse included tracking his former partner’s movements by using an app on her mobile phone and quizzing her about who she was socialising with.
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn publicly called for Hogg to be stripped of his MBE in the wake of the court case.
And now, a notice published in The Gazette - the official public record - says the honour will now be "cancelled and annulled".
The full notice from St James's Palace reads: "THE KING has directed that the appointment of Stuart William HOGG to be a Member of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, dated 30 December 2023 shall be cancelled and annulled and that his name shall be erased from the Register of the said Order."
Mr Flynn has welcomed the announcement. In a post on his X account this evening, the MP says: "Good. But this should have happened months ago.
"It's been over a year since I raised it in Parliament, and then with the relevant authorities.
"Why did it take so long?
"And why do others still hold their titles too?"
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