Queen Elizabeth II on Friday announced a knighthood for former prime minister Tony Blair, while the traditional New Year’s Honours also decorated officials who spearheaded Britain’s fight against Covid-19.

The Queen personally appointed Blair as Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the most senior order of knighthood. She previously knighted former Conservative prime minister John Major in this way in 2005, AFP reported.

Blair, now 68, defeated Major with a landslide Labour victory in 1997 and spent a decade in office.

His successes included securing peace in Northern Ireland and massively expanding gay rights. But he was widely reviled at home for his support for the 2003 US-led war in Iraq.

The main New Year’s Honours list gave knighthoods to Chris Whitty, the UK government’s chief medical adviser, and England’s deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam.

The Queen’s traditional annual honours recognise the achievements and contributions of people across Britain, including a minority from the worlds of showbiz, sport and politics.

This time nearly one in five honours were virus-related, the Cabinet Office said.