Scarborough-born Gavin Williamson to receive a knighthood, Downing Street announces

A Downing Street statement said: "The Queen has been pleased to approve that the honour of Knighthood be conferred upon The Rt. Hon. Gavin Williamson CBE MP."

In the Sunday Times in January, it was reported Mr Williamson would be among three Tory MPs to receive a knighthood "to keep them quiet" as part of the operation to keep Boris Johnson in Downing Street following the Partygate scandal.

Mr Williamson was sacked as Education Secretary in September following widespread criticism over his handling of the awarding of A-Level and GCSE grades during the Covid crisis, and the approach to school closures.

He apologised the week before his sacking after confusing England footballer Marcus Rashford with rugby star Maro Itoje, wrongly claiming he had met the former while in fact he had spoken over Zoom to the latter.

Gavin Williamson says he was visiting family in Scarborough, refuting claims he took 'seaside holiday during A-Levels fiasco'

Mr Williamson was raised in Scarborough by Labour-supporting parents and has previously told The Scarborough News that many members of his family still live in the area.

His father is reported to have worked at the local council and his mother at a job centre.

He attended East Ayton Primary, Raincliffe School, and Scarborough Sixth Form College before studying social sciences at Bradford University.

In 2001, while still only 24, he was elected as a North Yorkshire county councillor in the Seamer and Ayton ward, before leaving the council in 2005 to pursue his Parliamentary ambitions.

He was elected Conservative MP for South Staffordshire in May 2010, and has previously served as Chief Whip and Defence Secretary.

He was widely credited with securing the vast support for Mr Johnson among Conservative MPs during the party's 2019 leadership contest when he served as Chief Whip.