A REBELLIOUS former MP became an honorary freeman of his home city at a rare ceremony yesterday.

Gerry Steinberg has been made an Honorary Freeman of Durham City - the first time the ceremony has been performed since anti-apartheid campaigner Archbishop Desmond Tutu received the same honour in 1989.

The 60-year-old served as MP for Durham City from 1987 until his retirement, earlier this year.

During those 18 years, he played a key role in the life of the city, lobbying for the Passport Agency to set up in Durham, negotiating to bring the Millennium City development and arguing the case for the expansion of Dryburn hospital into the University Hospital of North Durham.

At Westminster, he earned a reputation as a determined constituency MP, who did not always toe the party line - resigning from his post as chairman of Labour's education committee when colleague Harriet Harman opted to send her children to a selective grammar

school.

He refused a lordship six years ago because, as he told assembled guests, "it wasn't a sincere offer".

Joined by his wife, Meg, the father-of-two told guests at the Freeman ceremony: "This is a huge honour. It is actually the most important thing that has happened to me in my whole life, to be made Freeman of the city in which I was born."

He added: "I have met presidents, prime ministers and royalty, here and all over the world.

"But I can tell you that the greatest satisfaction was catching the seven o'clock train back to Durham, because I was never happier then when I was back here."

Eight months into his retirement, he revealed that he spends much of his time with grandson Jacob and has a second grandchild on the way.

"I do absolutely nothing," he said. "I sit and watch UK Gold, ITV3 and Cbeebies and that's about it.

"I have no hobbies. Politics was my hobby, and then it became my job, so I actually have nothing to take its place."