A former Treasury mandarin who became embroiled in a row over advice he published in the run-up to the Scottish independence referendum is to be made a peer.
Sir Nicholas Macpherson, who stepped down as permanent secretary earlier this year, will sit in the House of Lords as a cross-bencher.
His name appears in David Cameron’s confirmed resignation list of honours and peerages, alongside Mark McInnes, director of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party.
The Edinburgh councillor will also sit in the Lords, as a Tory peer.
Former chancellor George Osborne has been made a Companion of Honour (CH), with Defence Secretary Michael Fallon becoming a Knight Commander of Order of the Bath (KCB).
The official list, in the Queen’s name, was published by the UK Government last night after a week of mounting controversy and accusations of cronyism, following an earlier leak.
Critics have condemned the former prime minister for rewarding personal aides, political donors and senior figures in the losing EU referendum campaign.
A number of his former special advisers and spokespeople have been recognised.
Also honoured is Oliver Letwin, a Cabinet Office minister until last month, who is to be knighted.
He was recently revealed in archive papers to be the man who suggested Scotland be used as a testing ground for the poll tax, as a young adviser to Margaret Thatcher.
Last year, Sir Nicholas faced calls to resign from Alex Salmond after a report by MPs concluded the civil servant should not have made his advice opposing a currency union with an independent Scotland public during the Scottish referendum campaign.
A Westminster committee said publication had occurred “because it suited ministers’ political objectives”.
Sir Nicholas, who joined the Treasury in 1985, has since said that Brexit presents a “golden opportunity” for the proponents of Scottish independence to reappraise their economic prospectus.
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron described Mr Cameron’s resignation honours as “so full of cronies it would embarrass a medieval court”, adding that in future such appointments should be handed to an independent panel.
Katie Ghose, Electoral Reform Society chief executive, said Mr Cameron’s “parting gift” of 16 Lords was a “sorry legacy”.
She added: “For a prime minister who promised to cut the cost of politics, he is leaving a big bill for the taxpayer as he leaves office.”
