Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen hailed his "incredible opportunity" after being handed a peerage in Boris Johnson’s long-awaited resignation honours list, which has just been released.

Simon Clarke, Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP, has reportedly been knighted, with the former prime minister also handing a peerage to former London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey.

Mr Houchen said said: "As a member of the House of Lords, I will be uniquely placed as being an elected Mayor with a seat in Parliament.

"The additional powers I will be given to make and amend laws are something no other Mayor in the country will have. I see this role not as a distraction, but as an incredible opportunity to fight and deliver even more for everyone across Teesside, Darlington, and Hartlepool.

"Despite what some like to say, Levelling Up is alive across the Tees Valley. We are now leading the way in UK Clean Growth and Net Zero technology, providing well paid jobs and developing energy security for the whole country from the Teesworks site.

"We have the Treasury in Darlington. We have a Prime Minister who lives just down the road who is committed to the North and my Levelling Up Agenda. We have our own international airport.

"And now I am being given the opportunity to sit amongst our law makers to talk up Teesside, and make sure we always get our fair slice of the cake.

"I also want to take this opportunity to reaffirm my commitment to my job as Mayor. I have had the honour of representing my home for the past six years and I feel an enormous responsibility to deliver for this area and I will continue to do this for years to come as Tees Valley Mayor.

"Today is recognition of Teesside, Darlington, and Hartlepool and shows that we matter on the national stage."

Howvere, Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald, described the appointment as "offensive".

He added: "This latest appointment from a discredited and dishonourable Prime Minister, is about as arrogant as it gets.  

"But it’s in the Tories' DNA. They just don’t care how offensive this is. They’re in charge and they are going to do what they like. Houchen told the country he'd called his dog “Boris” and his elevation has long since been promised and guaranteed.

"They’re essentially putting two fingers up to the people of Teesside. But at some point, the conveyor belt of the Tories putting their unelected chums and their donors into our second chamber has to be brought to a shuddering halt. That day can’t come soon enough. 

"This arrogance and disregard of the concerns of the people of Teesside in this appointment, is a mirror image of Houchen’s own behaviour on Teesside. But to make this appointment now, when there is an inquiry into his conduct around Teesworks, just beggars belief. 

"It’s clear the Tories have seen the writing on the wall and are trying to protect their own and are giving their blue-eyed boy in the North, an escape route before the electorate delivers its verdict on them all. 

"The Lords, based on parentage and patronage is a grotesque feudal anachronism in a modern democracy. It’s time for the Lords to be abolished." 

Labour’s Angela Rayner called Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list a “sickening insult”.

The deputy leader said: “Instead of tackling the cost-of-living crisis, the Tories are spending their time doling out rewards for those who tried to cover up rule-breaking and toadied to a disgraced former prime minister.

“It’s a sickening insult that those who planned Covid parties and held boozy lockdown bashes while families were unable to mourn loved ones are now set to be handed gongs by Rishi Sunak.

“As Boris Johnson faces yet more allegations and investigations about his conduct, the privilege of an honours list is spectacularly ill-judged and wholly undeserved.

“It’s shameful that Rishi Sunak has failed to stand up to his former boss’s outrageous demands and agreed to hand out prizes to this carousel of cronies.

“He promised integrity, but this weak Prime Minister is once again showing his appalling judgement by doing Boris Johnson’s bidding.”

Former cabinet ministers Jacob Rees-Mogg and Priti Patel were given a knighthood and a damehood respectively.

Former culture secretary Nadine Dorries and Sir Alok Sharma, president of the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow, were absent from the list, following reports the Government cut them at the 11th hour to swerve potentially damaging by-elections in their seats.

But Ms Dorries earlier announced she was standing down as an MP “with immediate effect”, triggering an early election battle in her Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

Benjamin Gascoigne, a former deputy chief of staff to the ex-prime minister will enter the House of Lords alongside Ross Kempsell, a former political director of the Conservative Party.

Charlotte Owen, a former adviser to Mr Johnson, will become one of the youngest peers, while Kulveer Singh Ranger, a former director of transport while Boris Johnson was London mayor, will also be elevated to the Lords.

Former No 10 chief of staff Dan Rosenfield will also enter the upper chamber.

Those put forward for a knighthood include former business secretary Mr Rees-Mogg, former housing secretary Mr Clarke and MPs Conor Burns and Michael Fabricant.

Former co-chairman of the Conservative Party Ben Elliot and William Lewis, a political adviser to Mr Johnson, are also in line to become knights bachelors.

Former home secretary Ms Patel has been nominated for a damehood, along with former ministers Andrea Jenkyns and Amanda Milling.

The former head of operations at No 10, Shelley Williams-Walker, will also receive a damehood, along with Mr Johnson’s former personal assistant, Ann Sindall.

But Downing Street sought to distance Rishi Sunak from the list.

“He had no involvement or input into the approved list,” the Prime Minister’s press secretary said.

Ms Dorries earlier announced she was standing down as an MP “with immediate effect”, triggering an early election battle in her Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

Lord Newby, leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords, called Mr Johnson’s resignation honours list a “clear failure of leadership” from the Prime Minister.

“Boris Johnson caused crisis after crisis in this country. His lack of honour means he didn’t deserve an honours list in the first place.

“Yet Sunak has caved in, rewarding Johnson for his reckless behaviour as prime minister. The British public will be outraged at this out of touch decision.

“Rishi Sunak needs to come before Parliament immediately to justify his cowardly failure to block Boris Johnson’s Honours list.”