Sir Ian Botham is reportedly set to be offered a peerage by UK prime minister Boris Johnson, allowing him to sit in the House of Lords, according to The Times.
It is said that the peerage will be conferred for his loyalty to the Brexit campaign, leading to the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union. Botham has already been knighted for his services to charity.
The House of Lords serves an important constitutional role in scrutinising bills passed through the House of Commons, where the UK’s elected Members of Parliament sit.
Botham appeared alongside Johnson at an event in Durham in 2016. “I have been lucky enough to grow up in a wonderful country, a country that has always been able to look after itself,” he said.
He added that he felt power has been “eroded by Brussels”, saying: “I think, hang on, enough’s enough.”
Botham scored 5,200 Test runs and claimed 383 wickets, and is rated as one of England’s greatest Test cricketers, and one of the greatest all-rounders of all time.