PM Lee conferred Freedom of the City of London

A LITTLE bit of history was made in London last night as Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was given the Freedom of the City of London.

More than 32 years after his father, former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, became the first Singaporean to be awarded the prestigious honour in 1982, the younger Mr Lee now finds himself listed alongside some exalted company.

Some of the past recipients of this award - said to have been first presented way back in 1237 - include the late former South African president Nelson Mandela, pioneering nurse Florence Nightingale, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Harry Potter author J K Rowling.