Birthday Honours 2015: Van Morrison and Kevin Spacey head list

Will Pooley, 30, the first British person to contract Ebola, was named an MBE for his services in tackling the outbreak in Africa. The Suffolk nurse, who is now back in England, sparked an outpouring of support when he flew back to continue to help sufferers.

Also honoured for his major role in the Ebola crisis is Dr Oliver Johnson, who is made an OBE his overseas service in Sierra Leone. He paid tribute to “the efforts of extraordinary local health workers and international volunteers” while the Foreign Office said his swift actions in response to the initial outbreak saved many lives.

Among politicians on the list are Simon Burns, Conservative MP for Chelmsford for nearly 30 years, and former Lib Dem deputy leader Simon Hughes, who lost his seat in May. They were both given knighthoods for public and political service.

Also recognised with a knighthood is Michael Davis, chairman of the Prime Minister’s Holocaust Commission, and Duwayne Brooks, who was with murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence when he was killed in a racist attack in 1993 and is now a now a Liberal Democrat councillor, was made an OBE for public and political service.

GMB leader Paul Kenny said he saw his knighthood for his service to trade unions as a recognition of efforts to stand up against exploitation and bullying.

However, he went on to add that he would “swap it tomorrow for the introduction of the Living Wage”, in an interview with the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.