Scots recognised in the New Years honours

Scotland's chief medical officer has been knighted in the New Year Honours list that recognises others on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as military personnel, politicians and Olympic athletes.

Dr Gregor Smith, the Scottish Government's chief medical advisor for the majority of the coronavirus pandemic, said the role has been a "privilege and a pleasure" and that he was "surprised and honoured" about being made a Knight Bachelor.

The GP had been Scotland's deputy chief medical officer from 2015 to April 2020, when he took over from predecessor Dr Catherine Calderwood after photos showing her breaking coronavirus travel rules to visit her second home resulted in resignation.

In his role, Dr Smith has advised the Scottish Government on its public health response to the Covid-19 pandemic and attended Covid-19 press briefings to answer questions from the media.

Dr Smith trained as a general practitioner and spent most of his career at a practice in Larkhall, South Lanarkshire, before becoming the medical director for primary care at NHS Lanarkshire, one of Scotland's largest health boards.

Dr Smith said: "I am surprised and feel honoured to receive a knighthood in The Queen's New Year Honours list for services to public health.

"This means a huge amount to me but it is a reflection of the work that a good number of us have undertaken during the course of the coronavirus pandemic.

"I want to thank everyone who I have worked with, in the Scottish Government and associated organisations, for their contribution to this response.

"It is a privilege and a pleasure to serve as the chief medical officer for Scotland. As we face further challenges ahead, I especially want to thank my colleagues across the country for their professionalism, their support and their commitment to caring for the people of Scotland."

NHS and medical staff recognised

Volunteers and healthcare workers are among those receiving honours for their work during the pandemic, including Joseph Freedman for services to the Jewish community in Glasgow during the pandemic and Dr Adaeze Ifezulike, a GP from Aberdeen for services to health inequality in minority communities in Scotland.

Paul Fairie, the head of operations at Glasgow's Lighthouse Laboratory that has processed more than 20 million Covid-19 tests joins Mr Freedman and Dr Ifezulike in being made Members of the Order of the British Empire.

Former Scots MPs given honour

Other knighthoods have been awarded to long-serving former Glasgow MP Tommy McAvoy for his political and public service.

Lord McAvoy, who was the MP for Glasgow Rutherglen from 1987 to 2010, spent much of his time at Westminster with roles in the Labour Party's whips office, serving in both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's governments.

He has been in the House of Lords since 2010 and is currently a senior whip and spokesman for both Scottish and Northern Irish issues.

Former Ayr MSP John Scott is also being made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire after 21 years at Holyrood.

Mr Scott, 70, was first elected as the area's Conservative MSP in a 2000 byelection, holding the seat in four subsequent elections.

A former farmer, he overcame pancreatic cancer - the same illness that killed his wife just nine months after he was first elected to the Scottish Parliament.

He served in parliament, including a spell as a deputy presiding officer, until May's Holyrood election when he experienced a 170-vote defeat to the SNP's Siobhian Brown.

Glasgow swimmer Duncan Scott to receive OBE

Glasgow-born swimmer Duncan Scott has been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire after becoming the first British athlete to win four medals at an Olympic games with a gold and three silvers at Tokyo 2020 this year.

Paralympic gold medallist Owen Miller from Fife has also been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire following his victorious debut in Tokyo in the T20 1500m, for athletes who compete with learning or intellectual impairments.

There is an MBE for Kathleen Dawson from Fife, who swam backstroke as part of the world record-beating mixed 4x100m relay team to win gold for Team GB at the Olympics in July.

Former chairman of St Johnstone, the businessman Geoffrey Brown, who rescued the football club from financial difficulty in 1986 has been made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to Scottish Football and to the community in Perth.

Dr Liz Cameron, director of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, has been made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to the promotion of Scotland and UK international trade.

Dr Cameron said: "This is a tremendous accolade and I am deeply honoured and humbled to be awarded a CBE in the Queen's Honours list."

She added: "I am so proud of how Scottish businesses and the Scottish Chambers of Commerce Network have continued to forge ahead.

"This award is a tribute to all businesses who, even in times of crisis, push the boundaries of innovation and trade, and continue to seize the opportunities.

"I will continue to champion Scottish and British businesses to the world and remain steadfastly committed to working in collaboration with civic society to accelerate our recovery, growth and future position in the global marketplace."

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