Theresa May honours: Byron Davies and Debbie Wilcox to be peers

Debbie Wilcox and Byron Davies are to be made peers in the House of Lords

A former Tory MP and the current Labour leader of Newport council are to become peers after being included in Theresa May's resignation honours.

Byron Davies, chairman of the Welsh Conservatives, has been nominated by Mrs May to join the House of Lords.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn nominated Debbie Wilcox, who is also leader of the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA), to become a Labour peer.

Mrs May stepped down as prime minister in the summer.

Her nominations included Gavin Barwell, her former chief of staff, and Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill, her chiefs of staff who left their jobs after the 2017 general election in which the Conservatives lost their majority in the Commons.

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Labour said Mrs May's honours rewarded "big Tory donors and No 10 cronies".

Mr Davies lost his Gower seat at the 2017 general election - he previously served as a Conservative AM for South Wales West - while Ms Wilcox has been the leader of Newport council since 2016.

The 67-year-old said he was "deeply honoured" to be awarded a peerage.

Prior to her election to Newport council in 2004, the now Baroness Wilcox worked as a senior examiner and teacher for more than 35 years.

She has been leader of Newport council and the WLGA since 2016 and is Wales' representative on the Local Government Association

"Debbie has spent a lifetime in public service - as a teacher, as a councillor and most recently as leader of Newport City Council and the WLGA," said Andrew Morgan, the WLGA's presiding officer.

"She's a great communicator and is vociferous in her defence of local democracy and accountability, which I'm sure she will continue to actively advocate upon taking her seat in the House of Lords."