Shame of Saint Becks: How taxman blocked David's knighthood after he was accused of using a dodgy tax avoidance scheme as it's claimed the multi-millionaire tried cover up email leak and demanded BBC pay for a private jet 

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It was revealed that David Beckham (pictured) was told to sort his taxes out if he wanted of knighthood 

David Beckham was told to sort out his taxes if he wanted a knighthood, it can be revealed.

Insiders confirmed there was effectively horse-trading between a Whitehall committee and the superstar's advisers.

Beckham and his PR machine have been left reeling after Friday's release of 18.6million emails and documents hacked by the Football Leaks website from the servers of Doyen Global, the firm run by the ex-footballer's PR chief Simon Oliveira.

It emerged last night that Beckham was on the verge of becoming Sir David in the 2014 New Year's Honours list until a secret 'red flag' warning from HM Revenue and Customs sunk his nomination. Beckham's involvement in an alleged tax avoidance scheme had scuppered his hopes.

The Honours Committee had already agreed that Beckham's nomination – almost certainly proposed by his PR advisers – was well 'merited'. But then came a routine check of his tax affairs. A source close to the committee told the Mail: 'HMRC gives us a flag – it's red, amber or green. Beckham was a red. His taxes were the problem.'

The leaked emails include a number of bombshells and series of sweary-rants and may even have been used as part of a £1million blackmail plot.

In one message the ex-England captain allegedly claims singer Katherine Jenkins, 36, got an OBE for ‘singing at the rugby and going to see the troops plus taking coke. F*****g joke’.

In response her manager, Professor Jonathan Shalit told The Sun: ‘I say Katherine was awarded an OBE for her services to music and charity.

‘With regards to the taking of coke which Katherine has courageously publicly admitted with great honesty — this was when she was in her early 20s still studying, over a decade before she was awarded her OBE and started her recording career.’

Support: Victoria Beckham, clutching her VB phone, is helped by security at Heathrow as she flew out of the UK on Saturday in the wake of the email storm

Retired English footballer David Beckham and his wife Victoria Beckham strike a pose at a dinner in Scotland in 2014. The emails revealed Beckham allegedly got involved in the Scottish independence referendum to boost his chances of a knighthood

Beckham and his PR machine have been left reeling after Friday's release of 18.6million emails and documents hacked by the Football Leaks website. This picture with daughter Harper came after the emails were leaked

Beckham was England captain when he was awarded the OBE in 2003 for his services to football

The former footballer, 41, was one of dozens of wealthy celebrities who invested in the controversial Ingenious Media scheme to fund movies and reduce investors' personal tax liability. 

HMRC labelled the scheme a tax avoidance vehicle. It is understood the Honours Committee then entered into an extraordinary dialogue with Team Beckham to 'sort out' the issue, raising the suggestion that high-profile individuals can be told what they need to do to get a knighthood.

Beckham does not appear to have appreciated the attempt to help him. The leaked emails reveal that when he found out he had been passed over in 2013, the ex-England captain denounced the committee members as 'a bunch of c***s' who were 'unappreciative' of his national-treasure status. He branded the honours system 'a f***ing joke'. 

The former England football may have been a victim of a £1million blackmail plot over hacked emails, it was claimed last night.

The messages were reportedly accessed after criminals - thought to be using Russian servers - hacked documents from the sports agency run by his spokesman Simon Oliveira. 

They demanded one million euros - almost £900,000 - or they would pass on the material they had acquired, according to the Daily Mirror.

The hackers went to Doyen Sports, which are part of Mr Oliveria's Doyen Global agency based in Portugal. They sent an email and attempted to 'blackmail' the business team - who called the police at the beginning of 2016.

A source told the paper: 'They said we have all this information and you have to pay up. It was blackmail, pure and simple.

'The investigation has been going on behind the scenes for some time and involved several prominent companies.

'The hack wasn't targeted at David at all – it was very much a fishing expedition but David has been caught in the crossfire.'

The revelation came as:

- Team Beckham said he had spoken in the 'heat of the moment' and was just a 'normal person' who was 'extremely disappointed' at being passed over for a knighthood;

- Police were called in to investigate the 'Beckileaks' email hack; 

- It emerged he once demanded a private jet to appear on the BBC;

- The emails revealed Beckham allegedly got involved in the Scottish independence referendum to boost his chances of a knighthood;

- Katherine Jenkins hits back after Becks email says her OBE was a 'f*****g joke'.

Beckham, wife Victoria and eldest son Brooklyn yesterday put on a show of unity, posting photos to social media, including one showing the father of four cuddling his daughter Harper. But Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan wrote on Twitter: 'RIP Brand Beckham... We can forget about 'Sir David Beckham' ever happening.'

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star received an OBE award from the Queen

The former England captain was accused of calling the honours committee 'unappreciative c****' for its failure to make him Sir David as well refusing to bankroll the charity 

The former Manchester United and England ace was widely expected to be knighted after his 20-year football career ended in May 2013. He had also played a key role in the London 2012 Olympics.

A source close to the Honours Committee told the Mail: 'There is no question about it, he did deserve one. It is well known that we do a sort of risk assessment on people, and we get it from HMRC. Beckham's came back with a red flag. There were attempts to sort it out, because everybody felt he merited a knighthood. There was not any other factor, just the tax.

'We tried a few informal routes to sort something out. But ultimately we have a set of rules, and one is not to give it to people red-flagged and you can't ignore that. On this tax thing, it's about making sure people understand that issue and improve the position [of their taxes].

'With Beckham, it could have been resolved – but I can see it is going to be much more awkward now.'

After he was passed over, Beckham wrote an email to Mr Oliveira calling the honours committee 'unappreciative c***s'.

Mr Oliveira apparently confirmed the extraordinary behind-the-scenes channel to the Honours Committee. In one of his leaked emails, he told Beckham he had held discussions with figures connected to the committee, and that HMRC had 'place[d] a flag' on his nomination. Beckham wrote back: 'The flag has no truth behind it as we didn't [do] nothing wrong everything is and was above board … C***s.' He said he had always paid his taxes.

The emails were offered to the Sunday Times but Beckham obtained an injunction against the newspaper. They were released last week by Football Leaks, the sporting equivalent of WikiLeaks, via various European news websites.

Last night a friend of Beckham's told the Mail: 'It's been a rough few days but, actually, David is doing OK because he knows he's done nothing wrong. The frustrating thing from his end is all the tireless work he has done for charity that hasn't been documented, and the idea he doesn't donate personally.

Beckham (pictured at Old Trafford in 2015) was about to become a Sir but a 'red flag' warning from HM Revenue and Customs sunk his nomination 

'That is absolute rubbish; over the past 12 months alone he has donated over £5million from his personal bank account. He hasn't wanted or asked for any recognition, he's simply gone on and done it.'

A spokesman for the star added: 'This story is based on outdated material taken out of context from hacked and doctored private emails from a third-party server and gives a deliberately inaccurate picture.' 

BECKS 'DEMANDED PRIVATE JET TO GO ON BBC SHOW' 

David Beckham allegedly demanded that BBC producers pay thousands of pounds for a private jet to take him to watch his son play football after he appeared on the Graham Norton Show.

Incredibly, the programme funded by licence payers agreed to the millionaire star's request.

In February 2015, the chat show featured Beckham alongside Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman. The pair were all smiles as they posed for a photo before the filming, and during the show Beckham spoke fondly of how his three sons were playing football.

David Beckham (third right) allegedly demanded that BBC producers pay thousands of pounds for a private jet

After the show, he took a private jet to Liverpool to watch his son Brooklyn take part in a tournament, the Football Leaks emails claim. This could have cost as much as £17,000, according to a charter firm.

The Football Leaks website asked: 'Why did the BBC, funded solely from public funds, agree to pay the trip for this immensely rich man?' Last night a BBC spokesman said: 'David Beckham appeared on the Graham Norton Show to promote his work for Unicef. He was not paid a fee for his appearance and, although we will not comment on this specific case, it is normal practice for the independent production company to provide travel and/or accommodation for guests as and when required.'

The chat show is produced by So Television, which was unavailable for comment.

Furious Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins hits back at David Beckham after his alleged hacked emails branded her OBE award a 'f****** joke' 

Katherine Jenkins (pictured) has defended her OBE award after David Beckham allegedly branded it a 'f****** joke' 

Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins has hit back at former England football captain David Beckham after he allegedly branded her OBE award a 'f****** joke'.

The songwriter, 36, has rubbished his alleged comment - discovered after emails were hacked - and defended her award.

She was given an OBE in the 2014 New Year Honours for her services to music and charity. 

Her manager, Professor Jonathan Shalit, told Dan Wootton at The Sun, that she deserved her award for her charity work and music career.

It comes after Beckham allegedly wrote an email to his PR manager, Simon Oliveira, indicating his fury that Ms Jenkins had been handed an OBE after he missed out on the knighthood.

Beckham, who played for Manchester United and Real Madrid, received an OBE in 2003 and is reported to have sent an email lambasting the decision to give Ms Jenkins one a decade later.   

In it, he allegedly wrote: 'Katherine Jenkins OBE for what? Singing at the rugby and going to see the troops plus taking coke. F****** joke.'

Professor Shalit told the newspaper: 'I say Katherine was awarded an OBE for her services to music and charity.

'With regards to the taking of coke which Katherine has courageously publicly admitted with great honesty — this was when she was in her early 20s still studying, over a decade before she was awarded her OBE and started her recording career.'

He also highlighted the fact she visited British troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Cyprus and Kosovo between 2005 and 2013.   

Prof Shalit added that she went on to become the 'world's most prolific crossover artist' after selling more than 10million CDs.

Beckham (left and right, with his wife Victoria) received an OBE in 2003 and he allegedly wrote an email after Jenkins was awarded hers in 2014

Ms Jenkins had previously admitted that her life was almost ruined by cocaine and ecstasy in an exclusive with Piers Morgan for the Mail on Sunday.

She turned her life around when, at the age of 23 in 2003, she was offered a six-album deal by Universal Records worth over £1million, and vowed not to waste her talents.

And she later said she was 'humbled' to be bestowed with the honour.

Bizarre plan to fire football star into space with Sir David Attenborough

A plan to blast David Beckham into space to promote famous brands was hatched by his image rights firm.

The madcap idea would have involved the former footballer performing ‘zero gravity stunts’, according to emails hacked by Football Leaks.

It was even suggested that they get Sir David Attenborough on board to add ‘kudos’, and Gabon despot Ali Bongo Ondimba and the presidents of the repressive states of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan be targeted as potential sponsors.

In 2013, Tess O’Sullivan, head of sales at sports industry firm Doyen Sports, teamed up with Space Adventures, a US company that arranges private space flights.

It was suggested that sponsors would stump up between £400,000 and £10 million to send Beckham into orbit. The pitch was to be made to brands such as Yahoo, Google, YouTube and Facebook, with TV rights being offered to Sky and Fox.

A memo said: ‘Brands could promote products through “zero-gravity stunts” in space. The sponsorship deals could also include time with DB for associated advertising campaigns, personal appearances and corporate speaking.’ The cost of sending a civilian to the International Space Station was put at £28 million, the emails said. To make it happen would involve a three-year funding plan called ‘Funding DB’s Space Adventure’.

The emails said Doyen Global had a big sponsor in mind who would pay $12 million (£9.6 million), and three or four ‘secondary’ sponsors who would donate up to $5 million (£4 million) each. Space Adventures was founded in 1998 and describes itself as the only company in the world that provides opportunities for private spaceflight and tourism.