A fight has erupted in the UK over a leaked Cabinet Office document that suggests Colin Blakemore, the new chief executive of the Medical Research Council (MRC), was not recommended for knighthood because of his public support for animal research.

Colin Blakemore's support of animal research may have cost him knighthood.

Heads of the MRC are typically granted knighthood. However, the document, leaked on 14 December, revealed that Blakemore had been rejected because of his “controversial work on vivisection.” The document said Blakemore, an eminent neuroscientist who took on the new post in October, could be reconsidered if his reputation improved after his move to the MRC.

Blakemore has threatened to resign from his post, and says he has consistently spoken out in favor of animal research at considerable risk to himself and his family. Two letter bombs have been sent to Blakemore's home and, until recently, he had to travel with a police escort.

“My protest about the content of the leaked minutes has nothing to do with whether I deserve an honor,” Blakemore says. “My expressions of concern have to do with the apparent inconsistency of government attitude to the use of animals in medical research.”

Blakemore says he had planned new mechanisms to reward MRC-funded scientists for contributions to public communication. But the leak presents him with a dilemma, he says. “How can I write to MRC scientists to ask them to engage in public dialogue on animal experimentation in view of this evidence that, in secret, their reputations will be damaged by doing so?” Blakemore says the government's stance on animal research is due to the substantial donations the Labour Party has received from animal liberation groups.

Not surprisingly, those groups are delighted that Blakemore was denied knighthood. Blakemore “had what can only can be described as a tantrum over the knighthood issue,” says Andrew Tyler, director of Animal Aid. “Blakemore should either adjust his thinking or resign his position.”

But several scientists and organizations are rallying around Blakemore. The new council of the Biosciences Federation, which has more than 60,000 members, has written to Prime Minister Tony Blair to ask him for a statement.

Calls for the honors system to be changed have also skyrocketed. The government has promised a review, and the system is also to be examined by the Commons Public Administration Committee.