LONDON: Lord Justice Leveson has been appointed chancellor of a city university.

The senior judge, who led the recent public inquiry into press standards, will become chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and will be known in his new role, which is largely ceremonial, as Sir Brian Leveson.

Liverpool-born Sir Brian will replace LJMU’s current chancellor, Queen guitarist and astronomer Brian May, later this month.

The official inauguration ceremony will take place in May at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral.

Sir Brian, who was made an honourary fellow of LJMU last year and will join Cherie Booth as an emeritus chancellor of the university, said: “It is with enormous pride and no small measure of humility that I accept the role of chancellor.

“LJMU is a university with a long and distinguished history and as a son of the city of Liverpool I have long been aware of the transformational impact of the university on the lives of so many generations of students.

“I share LJMU’s belief that the university should be a positive force for change, both in the lives of individuals and also in society more generally, through research, scholarship and meaningful public engagement.”

Sir Brian’s association with LJMU began in 2010 when he delivered a Roscoe Lecture entitled Criminal Justice in the 21st Century for the university’s Foundation for Citizenship.

Pro-chancellor and chairman of the board of governors, Sir Malcolm Thornton, said: “The role of chancellor is enormously important for the university and Sir Brian perfectly embodies the ethos of this unique institution.