By Ben King, 19 June 2001 11:15
NEWS Billionaire telecoms tycoon Terry Matthews has been caught in a diplomatic row over his dual citizenship. Matthews has both a Canadian and a UK passport, and is thus entitled to the knighthood he was awarded in the Queen's birthday honours list. However, a 1919 law forbids Canadian citizens from holding titled honours from foreign countries. Canadian premier Jean Chretien has protested to Tony Blair about the award, complaining that he was not consulted about the affair. Matthews is one of the wealthiest UK citizens, with a fortune estimated at over £1bn. He owns the largest individual stake in Alcatel, following the takeover of his company Newbridge Networks. He is also chief executive of March Networks and owner of telecoms equipment manufacturer Mitel. Another Canadian citizen, George Bain, Chancellor of Queen's University Belfast, was knighted in the birthday list, and has also been caught up in the row.
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