Front-line workers and volunteers who contributed to the response to Covid-19 dominate the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Footballer Marcus Rashford and fitness coach Joe Wicks are also recognised for their efforts during the pandemic, becoming MBEs on the delayed list.

TV chef Mary Berry and actress Maureen Lipman are made dames, while actor David Suchet and veteran entertainer Tommy Steele are both knighted.

TV presenter Lorraine Kelly and broadcaster Prof Brian Cox become CBEs.

The list is usually published in June, when the Queen celebrates her official birthday, but it was postponed so that individuals who played crucial roles in the first months of the coronavirus outbreak could be added.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the recipients of this year’s honours were “a testament to the sort of country we are – caring, compassionate and resolute in the face of a global pandemic”.

“The hard work and dedication of these local, often unsung heroes has helped carry us through,” he added.

England player Rashford, whose award came for services to vulnerable children in the UK during the coronavirus epidemic, said becoming an MBE sounded “a little bit strange but obviously I feel honoured”.

The 22-year-old Manchester United forward successfully campaigned to extend free school meals over the summer after pressing the government into a U-turn on the issue.