North West Cambridgeshire MP Shailesh Vara says he is “delighted” to be back in the government after he was promoted by the prime minister in a reshuffle of her cabinet.

Theresa May appointed Mr Vara the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office, amid a raft of changes to her top team.

Mr Vara will work with the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Karen Bradley, on a number of issues affecting the country, including brokering a power-sharing deal to get the parliament back up and running and working on a deal on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after Brexit.

He said: “I am delighted to be back in government. It is a very exciting time to be in the Northern Ireland Office, where there are huge issues involved, and I am looking forward to getting on with the work.”

Mr Vara has previously served as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Ministry of Justice and as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department for Work and Pensions.