KNIGHTHOOD FOR TOP POLLSTER

AT a time when pollsters have a knack for getting it wrong, he is the elections expert who has politicians hanging on his every word.

Professor John Curtice, who is awarded a knighthood, is a central fixture of polling night broadcasts.

It was his exit poll in June that warned Theresa May she would lose her Commons majority. He was also credited with recognising the late surge for Leave in the EU referendum campaign. His expertise has seen former Scottish first minister Henry McLeish hail him as a ‘ beacon of objectivity in a world of fake news’.

The softly- spoken professor of politics at Strathclyde University, who has the look of an eccentric scientist, has been involved in BBC election nights since 1979.

Last night the 64-year-old said he was ‘surprised and humbled’ to be knighted. ‘Just six months ago the exit poll I led surprised everyone with a shock prediction that went on to be uncannily accurate,’ he said.

‘Now it is my turn to be surprised and humbled by the gracious decision to grant me a knighthood.

‘It is not something I ever expected to happen. But it appears that my attempts to analyse public opinion... are appreciated.’