Mike Whitby has become Birmingham’s very own version of Brucie.

His jokes and anecdotes are certainly as old as the TV presenter.

There is another similarity, however. Almost from the moment Bruce Forsyth regained his national treasure status on Strictly Come Dancing there was a clamour for him to be knighted.

For the last two or three years speculation about Mike’s lack of honours has, at a local level, been rife – and with another round of gongs being handed out, speculation is again growing among Birmingham’s political classes.

Poor Mike has spent nearly eight years as leader of Britain’s largest local authority, but has yet to receive a honour.

During that time he has held together a coalition with the Lib Dems that many thought would last a few months and, with the notable exception of children’s social care, overseen a generally well-run local authority.

His predecessor Sir Albert Bore was knighted after three years in the job. To be fair, he had before that overseen Birmingham city centre’s remarkable regeneration of the 1990s as chairman of the economic development committee.