Ex-mayor Andy Street knighted in New Year Honours

Former West Midlands Mayor Andy Street has received a knighthood in the 2025 New Year's Honours List.

Sir Andy was elected as the first mayor of the West Midlands in May 2017, when the post was created to cover three cities and several towns in the region.

He served two terms for the Conservatives until he lost to Labour's Richard Parker in May 2024.

Sir Andy, who received the knighthood for contributions to public service, said it was "an accolade for the people in the West Midlands" and he had only been "the front man".

The West Midlands mayor leads a combined authority that was created in 2016 and covers metropolitan councils in the cities of Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton, as well those in Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, and Walsall.

The role is one of six such posts that were created across the UK in 2017.

Sir Andy said creating the combined authority had been a "huge endeavour" and that the knighthood recognised the hard work of "many thousands of unsung people".

He was appointed a CBE in 2015, but said the knighthood "genuinely was a complete surprise" and it was not something he had thought about.

When asked what he was most proud of during his time as mayor, he said he felt the West Midlands had been lacking self belief in 2017 and that he had helped create a "confidence in the region".

He also said he believed he had a small role in "creating confidence in the mayoral model", which Labour now intends to introduce all around the country.

Successful retail career

Before entering politics, Sir Andy had a successful retail career and was the managing director of the high street giant John Lewis.

He joined the company as a graduate trainee in 1985 and worked his way up through the ranks, before leaving in 2016 to enter politics.

He stepped away from politics after his defeat in May and announced he would not stand as an MP in July's general election.

He said at the time that being an MP "has just never been for me" and he would find it "extremely difficult to step back" from being an executive leader.

He became the new chair of the board for the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in November.

Other honours recipients from Birmingham and the Black Country include:

• Prof Paul Stewart, from Solihull, is appointed a CBE for services to medical science at Leeds University

• Michael Donoghue, from Walsall, is appointed an OBE for services to education as CEO of John Taylor Multi-Academy Trust

• Tully Kearney, from Walsall, becomes an OBE for services to swimming after winning double gold at the Paris Paralympics

• Claire Darke, from Wolverhampton, is appointed an MBE for services to local government, disability and suicide prevention as mayor of Wolverhampton

• Rabiyah Latif, from Walsall, is appointed an MBE for services to faith and community cohesion for her work with Near Neighbours

• Tracy Lowe, from Oldbury, is appointed an MBE for services to young people as founder of Wallace Youth Project

• Michael Oakes, from Birmingham, is appointed an MBE for services to dairy farming as chair of the National Diary Board and the National Farmers' Union

• Patricia White, from Halesowen, is made an MBE for services to unemployed people as chief executive of Suited for Success

• Joan Lockley, from Walsall, is awarded a BEM for services to wildlife as founder of the West Midlands Hedgehog Rescue

• Deborah Lowe, from Rowley Regis, is awarded a BEM for services to musical theatre in the West Midlands as chair and director of Youth Onstage