Former Black Country MP Tom Watson set for House of Lords, according to reports

Mr Watson, who represented West Bromwich East for 18 years before standing down ahead of the 2019 general election, is understood to have been been nominated for a life peerage by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

If his nomination is signed off Mr Watson will join his West Bromwich East predecessor, Lord Peter Snape, on the red benches.

Mr Watson, who grew up in Kidderminster, succeeded Lord Snape in the long-held Labour seat in 2001.

He served in government positions under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, before being elected as deputy leader under Jeremy Corbyn in 2015. He also served as Shadow Culture Secretary.

After frequent clashes with Mr Corbyn he announced he was standing down as both an MP and deputy leader ahead of the 2019 general election, saying his decision was "personal, not political".

Mr Watson was previously rejected for a peerage in 2020 by the House of Lords Appointments Commission, which is believed to have held concerns over his role in Operation Midland, a police probe over claims of historic child abuse which turned out to be false.

His current nomination has been opposed for the same reason by former Tory MP Harvey Proctor, who was among those to be falsely accused.

He said: "Nothing has changed since 2020 when Watson’s peerage was rejected due to his meddling in Operation Midland."

Mr Watson's career post-politics has seen him write a best-selling autobiography, Downsizing, which documents his experience of losing seven stone in less than twelve months and putting his 'type 2' diabetes into remission.

He is also chairman of UK Music.

Ian Austin was the last former Black Country MP to receive a peerage, joining the Lords in 2020 after representing Dudley North for 14 years.