THE MP for North Swindon, Justin Tomlinson, has joined his colleague in the south by gaining a promotion as David Cameron finalised his new-look Government this week.

Justin has been appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary for the Department Of Culture, Media and Sport.

He will report directly to the Secretary Of State Ed Vaizey, who is the MP for Wantage and Didcot.

The announcement comes a week after South Swindon MP Robert Buckland was appointed to the role of Solicitor General.

“I am very proud to be offered this role and delighted to be working in a department in which I have such a strong interest,” said Justin.

“It is a great opportunity to use my knowledge and experience in areas such as digital business and sports.

“I know Ed and he is a fan of what is going on in Swindon.

“I will continue to push for Swindon, as I have done in the years since I have been in Parliament.

“We celebrated in style, with a trip to Frankie and Bennys before going to the cinema.”

The role of Parliamentary Private Secretary is to work as the eyes and ears of the minister among the back benchers.

Although there is no extra pay for the role, it is widely seen as the first rung on the ladder in moving up in Government.

In his role, Justin will communicate between the other MPs and the minister.

“Previously, if I wanted to get something heard about Swindon I would go to the Parliamentary Press Secretary,” he said.

“Now I will be acting in that role, which I am really pleased to be doing.

“This is the area I have done the most speeches on in Parliament so I can carry on that work.

“When you look across the portfolio it is an important area. Sports are a fantastic way of building the confidence of young people and I have pushed for public facilities, such as schools, to be more available to teams.

“The digital economy is also extremely important, especially in Swindon where Intel is based.

“It is a great way for young entrepreneurs to flourish as they understand this.

“The benefits of the digital economy can be seen all over, especially in areas such as the video games industry.

“It is these areas that I will be looking to promote.”

  • Read Justin Tomlinson’s weekly column – page 13