Pub tycoon Tim Martin will be given a knighthood in the King’s New Year Honours, according to reports.
The outspoken Brexiteer and founder of Wetherspoons has reportedly been nominated for his services to businesses.
Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch pushed for his candidacy behind the scenes, according to the Daily Mail.
Mr Martin, 68, started the iconic British chain with his first pub in 1979, in Muswell Hill, north London.
He initially called it Martin's Free House, but then changed the name to Wetherspoons the following year. Wetherspoons is reportedly the name of a teacher who said Mr Martin would never amount to anything.
Now, JD Wetherspoon operates 800 pubs across the country, recording a turnover of £1.9 billion last year.
Mr Martin was an avid supporter of Brexit and donated £200,000 to the Vote Leave campaign during the 2016 referendum.
Two years later, he announced that his pubs would swap French champagne and German wheat beers for British alternatives.
Right-ring politicians have welcomed news about the nomination, with Nigel Farage calling him "an entrepreneur" who ran a "great company".
Similarly, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said: "I am delighted to hear this as Tim not only was brave enough to take up the political cudgels in support of the majority of the British people but he also brings daily cheer to people's lives through the good value provided by his pubs. A true British paladin."
Former Cabinet minister David Jones said: "Tim Martin played a big part in the Brexit campaign. He was in tune with the national sentiment and understood the desire of the British people to recover their independence. The honour is well deserved and long overdue."
The Cabinet Office would not confirm the nomination, saying "it would be in inappropriate to comment on speculation regarding potential honours recipients".
