The sport has gone 130 years without such an honour.

In contrast, rugby union, often seen as having more middle class roots, has been getting knighthoods for more than 100 years. Among more recent rugby knights was Sir Bill Beaumont, awarded "for services to rugby union football" in 2018.There have been many other sporting knighthoods and damehoods, including in athletics, yachting, football, golf, tennis, horse racing, cycling and rowing.

Next weekend will see the sport's showcase Challenge Cup Final at Wembley Stadium.And speaking on behalf of the MPs' rugby league group, Mr Baines said the lack of such an honour for rugby league was an unfairness to "some of Britain's greatest sporting heroes".That included "legends of the game who overcame racial and class prejudice such as Billy Boston and Clive Sullivan, to modern heroes on and off the pitch like Kevin Sinfield," said Mr Baines.

has raised more than £10m running for causes related to motor neurone disease, in memory of his late teammate Rob Burrow.was a celebrated Welsh-born rugby league player from the 1950s and 1960s, who is now aged 90. A petition was launched earlier this year to award him a knighthood.

"We do believe rugby league has historically been poorly treated in terms of recognition in various ways, including honours lists," said a spokesman for the Rugby Football League.

There have been honours, such as CBEs and OBEs, but no knighthoods."Our concentration now is to push them to get that into operation so they can intercept these smugglers and stop these people in the boats, not just on the shore," Healey added.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security."The people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die, as long as they pay, and we will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice.

"That is why this government has put together a serious plan to take down these networks at every stage."This week, it's time for the latest instalment in the John Wick franchise, as