FORMER Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, who attended the University of Bradford, has been given a knighthood.

The news was confirmed today on the Gov.uk website in a message from the Prime Minister's office.

No 10, asked why the knighthood was being announced now and not part of an honours list, said it was a political appointment by the Conservative Party.

It was understood the knighthood was being given to Gavin Williamson on the basis of his political and public service.

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

He studied at the University of Bradford in the early 1990s studying Social Sciences.

Mr Williamson was appointed as Education Secretary in July 2019 after Boris Johnson was elected as Prime Minister in the same month.

But Mr Williamson has been sacked from the post in September last year after months of calls for his removal as Mr Johnson carried out a Cabinet reshuffle.

Mr Williamson came under repeated pressure to resign over his handling of disruption to schools during the pandemic and the fiasco around grading of GCSE and A-level students amid cancelled exams.

He faced further criticism last year after he said he had met footballer Marcus Rashford online, when he had instead talked to rugby player Maro Itoje.

News of Mr Wiliamson's knighthood has been criticised, with broadcaster Piers Morgan tweeting: "For services to wrecking millions of kids’ education during the pandemic, Gavin Williamson is to be knighted. (I’m not joking…)"