Dame Ann Limb, who chairs the King’s Foundation, has acknowledged providing “misleading” information regarding her academic credentials.

The education expert, recently put forward by Labour for a life peerage, confirmed that she never finished a doctoral degree at the University of Liverpool, despite this qualification featuring on her CV.

“To be completely upfront and honest about it, I never completed my PhD at Liverpool University,” she stated.

The Sunday Times revealed that Dame Ann had falsely claimed to hold an MA from the Institute of Linguistics, which she also conceded was inaccurate.

Her CV has since been updated to remove these qualifications.

Downing Street announced Dame Ann among its nominees for the House of Lords earlier this month, following her extensive experience across senior positions in both public and private sectors.

The King’s Foundation, an organisation providing practical skills training to young people, confirmed last week that she would be leaving her chairmanship, a post she had occupied since January, to take up her seat as a peer.

An earlier version of her online CV, reviewed by the BBC, displayed the “Dr” title and listed a 1978 PhD from Liverpool among her qualifications.

The City & Guilds Foundation, another body she chairs, referred to her as Dr Ann Limb in 2020, as did the Queen’s Birthday Honours list when her damehood was announced in 2022.

A revised version of her CV, created in July 2024, removes both the doctoral title and the claimed 1978 PhD, instead noting honorary doctorates from Anglia Ruskin University and the University of Northampton.

Dame Ann explained her use of the Doctor title by pointing to these honorary degrees.

“I have used the word ‘Doctor’… because I have got several honorary PhDs and that’s been clear to me that they’re honorary,” she told the Sunday Times.

Regarding her website, which still references her undertaking doctoral studies at Liverpool, she acknowledged: “Perhaps my own website is not very helpful, I don’t pay a lot of attention to it, but if there’s anything misleading… on that I’m very happy to correct [it].”

Those who receive honorary doctorates typically refrain from using the Dr title out of respect for individuals who have completed the academic work required for a PhD.

When asked for comment, a Number 10 spokesperson pointed the BBC towards documentation outlining the rationale for Dame Ann’s peerage nomination, which highlights her roles as chair or non-executive director across numerous public, private and charitable organisations.

Originally from Moss Side in Manchester, Dame Ann currently serves as pro-chancellor at the University of Surrey and chairs the Lloyds Bank Foundation among other institutions.

Her damehood recognised her contributions to young people and philanthropy throughout a career largely spent in higher education.

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