Former Exeter MP becomes a doctor!

Sir Ben Bradshaw receives honorary degree

Last year he became a knight of the realm. Now he's a doctor.

Sir Ben Bradshaw, Exeter's MP of 27 years until his retirement from parliament at the last general election, has donned fancy dress to receive an honorary doctorate from the city's university.

Appearing at a graduation ceremony, Sir Ben thanked students for “all they have given the city.” 

His award was in recognition of public service, including his achievements to boost the quality of schools in Exeter, bring jobs to the city and his campaigning for LGBT rights.

In his time as MP, he worked to bring the Met Office to Exeter and worked closely with the university and others in the community to bring about a huge school reorganisation and rebuilding programme.

Sir Ben praised the University of Exeter’s role within the local community and work to support jobs and links with industry.

He said: “Graduating now in 2025 might feel a little daunting. It feels like we are going through one of those phases when human progress stalls or even goes a bit backwards. Not unlike when I graduated in 1982, but back then I never could have imagined that the Berlin Wall would fall, or that I would be able to live my life as a gay man free from discrimination and with the right to marry, or that the UK would be generating half of its electricity from renewables.

“So please never stop believing in the possibility and power of transformational change. Go out there and do it.”

Sir Ben served as Minister in a number of government departments under the premierships of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, including Health, the Foreign Office and in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.  

Before entering parliament, Sir Ben was a journalist, beginning his working life on the Express and Echo in Exeter before moving to BBC Radio Devon.  

In early 1989 he was sent by the BBC to Berlin as their correspondent, where he covered the momentous events of the fall of the Berlin Wall and German reunification. He was then a reporter and presenter on The World at One and PM programmes on BBC Radio 4.  

He was only the second ever Labour MP for Exeter and held the seat in seven elections, including in 2015 when he was the only non-Conservative Member of Parliament south west of Bristol.

Sir Ben spoke of his sadness at finding a culture of low expectations in Exeter schools when he was first elected, and the rapid boost in exam results in the city over the past two decades. He paid tribute to the work of the Ted Wragg Trust, which runs many Exeter schools, and previous University of Exeter Vice Chancellor Steve Smith, for their roles in bringing about improvements.

He said the story of Exeter’s educational transformation shows that “transformational positive change is possible and because that change wouldn’t have happened without the university and without you.”

Asking students what they thought they had given to Exeter he said: “You have no idea how much. Some of you have personally helped children via mentoring scheme the university runs, or you have volunteered in other ways and undertaken paid work.

“Exeter is richer, more diverse and much more interesting thanks to you.”