Peerage for former Liverpool council leader Mike Storey

Lord Storey will advise on government's shake-up of the school system

The former leader of Liverpool City Council has been made a Liberal Democrat peer - five years after he resigned from his post.

Mike Storey is one of 15 people chosen by the Lib Dems to become one of 50 new members of the House of Lords.

The head teacher left the council after an investigation into claims of a conspiracy against chief executive Sir David Henshaw in 2005.

Lord Storey said he hoped it signalled the end of that era.

"It's a recognition that I did do some worthwhile things for the city and the difficult times I had, the David Henshaw and the e-mails and all that, it's put a full stop under all that.

"It finishes all the sort of difficulties that I went through. For me, I can move on now."

The primary school head teacher was elected to the council in 1973 at the age of 23, and became leader in 1998.

He was awarded the OBE in 1992 and the CBE in 2002 for services to the regeneration of Merseyside.

Lord Storey will now advise on government's shake-up of the school system.