New jobs for East Anglian MPs as ministers in May government

New jobs in government for Ben Gummer, Brandon Lewis, Matt Hancock and Mike Penning. Credit: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire

More MPs from the Anglia region have been given new jobs in Theresa May's new government.

The former Police minister and Hertfordshire MP Mike Penning has been moved from the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of Defence.

Mr Penning, the MP for Hemel Hempstead since 2005, is a former Grendadier Guardsman and Essex firefighter.

He has been a minister since 2010 working at Transport, the Northern Ireland Office and a Minister for Disabled People.

Great Yarmouth MP Brandon Lewis in the new Police & Fire Service Minister. Credit: ITV News

The Great Yarmouth MP Brandon Lewis has been appointed Police & Fire Service Minister.

Mr Lewis was the Housing and Planning Minister and has been a minister since 2012.

He was a prominent member of the Remain campaign in the European Union referendum despite the Great Yarmouth area having on the strongest votes to leave in the UK.

Great Yarmouth voted by 71.5% to 28.5% to leave the EU on 23 June.

West Suffolk MP Matt Hancock moves from the Cabinet Office to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Credit: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire

The West Suffolk MP Matt Hancock has moved to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport as the Minister of State responsible for digital policy.

Mr Hancock was also prominent in the Remain campaign and used to work as Chief of Staff to ousted Chancellor George Osborne.

The move could be seen by some a demotion for Mt Hancock, who was attending Cabinet in David Cameron's administration as Cabinet Office minister and Paymaster General.

That role has now been taken by Ipswich MP Ben Gummer.

Ipswich MP Ben Gummer is the new Cabinet Office Minister. Credit: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire

Ben Gummer will now attend cabinet in his new position although he does not have full Cabinet Minister status. It is a significant promotion for Mr Gummer who has been a junior health minister only since the 2015 election.

Mr Gummer follows in his father's footsteps as the Conservative minister. John Gummer, now Lord Deben, served for many years in Mrs Thatcher's Cabinet.

Ben Gummer won the marginal seat of Ipswich in 2010 by 2,079 votes but increased his majority to 3,733 in 2015.

North Hertfordshire MP Sir Oliver Heald is the new Justice Minister. Credit: Yui Mok/PA Wire

Sir Oliver Heald, the MP for North Hertfordshire since 1992, has returned to frontline politics as Justice Minister working with the South West Norfolk MP Liz Truss who is the new Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary.

Sir Oliver was the Solicitor General from 2012 until 2014 and had a number of Shadow Cabinet positions under Micheal Howard and David Cameron in opposition.

He was knighted in 2014

The South Holland and the Deepings MP John Hayes remains as the Transport Minister.