CBE honour for Liverpool’s Lord Mayor

Liverpool’s Lord Mayor has been awarded a CBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List and is believed to be the first person to receive the honour whilst holding the civic title.

Councillor Erica Kemp will join Cherie Blair and director of the School of Tropical Medicine Professor Janet Hemmingway, in the handful of other influential women to hold the title.

Councillor Kemp and her husband, Richard, are now said to be the only couple to both hold the title of CBE, as he was also awarded the honour in 2011.

Councillor Kemp says: “I am absolutely thrilled to be receiving this prestigious honour. As Richard is already a CBE I was vaguely aware what the envelope contained when it dropped through the letterbox but I was still completely shocked when I read I was to be given the CBE. I then went straight out to do an event as Lord Mayor and must admit I had trouble concentrating!

“I will be accepting this, not just for myself, but on behalf of all those strong, independent and hardworking women in politics. I hope I have been able to profile women in politics in a positive way.”

The Commander of the Order of the British Empire is the second highest honour one can receive from the Queen and is normally awarded for having a prominent but lesser role at national level, or a leading role at regional level. It can also be awarded for a distinguished, innovative contribution to any area.

Erica’s husband Richard says of her achievement: “I am incredibly proud that Erica’s hard work has been recognised with this honour, this is a great achievement although it’s going to be very difficult for me to pull rank now when it comes to household chores!”