Election guru Lynton Crosby says being named Australian of the Year in the UK is recognition that Australians “punch above their weight in London”.

The 58-year-old received the honour on Friday night at a ceremony at Australia House where he defended his recent knighthood for masterminding the re-election of Britain’s Conservative government in May last year.

Sir Lynton, who has been dubbed the “Wizard of Oz”, previously helped Boris Johnson become mayor of London and was instrumental in former Australian prime minister John Howard’s run of four election victories.

His award of a knighthood in the UK’s New Year Honours List prompted accusations of political cronyism from the opposition Labour Party and calls in the British media for an overhaul of the honours system.

Sir Lynton told reporters on Friday his Australian of the Year in the UK award was “further recognition that Australians punch above their weight in London, in all sorts of walks of life.”

He said Australia equipped its people to be persistent and straight speaking and its egalitarian nature enabled Australians abroad to deal with situations with confidence and determination.

“I think there’s a tolerance from the British towards the directness that Australians have, so perhaps you can sometimes get away with saying and doing things a little more directly and a little more forcefully.”

When asked about his knighthood and accusations of cronyism Sir Lynton said he was honoured to be recognised for services to politics but “it’s really for others to make a judgment”.

“Of course you’ll always get your critics, you’ve just got to be confident in your own contribution and satisfied with that and I considered it a great honour.”

When asked if he preferred Sir Lynton to the “Wizard of Oz” he replied: “I prefer Lynton”.

Australian high commissioner Alexander Downer, who presented the award, said it was “entirely appropriate” for Sir Lynton to receive the Australia Day Foundation honour, and he also defended his knighthood.

“The fact is there is an Australian who is front and centre in the firmament of British politics.

“He has had a huge impact here in the UK. Of course he’s worked as a hired gun for the Conservative Party not for the Labour Party,” said Mr Downer, a former foreign minister in the Howard government.

“At the end of the day he’s the man who crafted a campaign that has led to the existence of the present government in the UK and in that sense he’s a very important person.”