Former Black Country MP Tom Watson appointed to House of Lords
Former Black Country MP and Labour deputy leader Tom Watson has been confirmed as receiving a peerage in the latest Government list.
A total of 26 figures have been made members of the House of Lords as part of the latest honours list.
Mr Watson, who grew up in Kidderminster, represented West Bromwich East for 18 years before standing down ahead of the 2019 general election.
He served in government positions under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, before being elected as deputy leader under Jeremy Corbyn in 2015.
Post-politics, Mr Watson has written a best-selling autobiography, titled Downsizing, documenting his experience of losing seven stone in less than 12 months and putting his 'type 2' diabetes into remission.
Mr Watson was rejected for peerage in 2020 by the House of Lords Appointments Commission, due to believed concerns over his role in Operation Midland, a police probe over claims of historic child abuse which turned out to be false.
His 2022 nomination by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was opposed for the same reason by former Tory MP Harvey Proctor, who was among those to be falsely accused.
He said: "Nothing has changed since 2020 when Watson’s peerage was rejected due to his meddling in Operation Midland."
Also included on the list is former Telford & Wrekin Council leader Kuldip Sahota, named alongside the grandson of Sir Winston Churchill Sir Nicholas Soames.
Councillor Sahota has been a ward member for 20 years, and led Telford & Wrekin Council from 2011 to 2015.
He is a prominent member of the local Sikh community and also served on the Board of Governors of the University of Wolverhampton for nine years.
He said: "I would like to thank the Labour Party and, in particular, its leader, Sir Keir Starmer, for appointing me to the House of Lords.
"It is a great honour and a privilege to sit in the House of Lords representing the Labour Party and its values of equality, fairness and social justice."
Paul Dacre, the editor-in-chief of DMG Media which publishes the Daily Mail and Metro newspapers, was not on the list despite previously being tipped to receive the honour.
