Home Office chief among civil servants awarded knighthood in New Year Honours

Sir Matthew Rycroft has been charged with implementing controversial policies including the Rwanda deal

Home Office Permanent Secretary Matthew Rycroft raised concerns about the policy (House of Commons/PA) (PA Archive)

The head of the Home Office has been given a knighthood following a tumultuous year for the department.

Permanent secretary Sir Matthew Rycroft was among several civil servants named in the New Year Honours, including officials from Border Force and a Home Office legal adviser.

He was made a knight commander for “services to British diplomacy, development and domestic policy”, following a decades-long career including posts at the Department for International Development, Foreign Office and as the UK’s representative to the United Nations.