Former NIO Minister Shailesh Vara appointed new Northern Ireland Secretary

Shailesh Vara has been appointed the new Northern Ireland Secretary.

He comes enters the role after his predecessor Brandon Lewis publicly resigned early on Thursday morning.

Mr Lewis, who had previously been regarded as a supporter of the Prime Minister, was one of more than 50 MPs who resigned from government.

That is despite telling UTV that Boris Johnson had his full support less than 24 hours before his resignation.

Now, as the Prime Minister is expected to announce his own resignation, Downing Street has started to make new ministerial appointments.

Mr Vara has previously served in the Northern Ireland Office.

The MP for North West Cambridgeshire was a junior minister between January and November 2018.

The Ugandan-born politician resigned from the post in protest of then-Prime Minister Theresa May's planned Brexit deal.

He claimed the draft agreement left "the UK in a half-way house"

Prior to the referendum in June 2016, Mr Vara was opposed to leaving the European Union.

He enters the job with Northern Ireland politics in a state of limbo with the DUP refusing to re-enter the Executive or nominate a speaker to allow some business to take place.

The DUP has refused to re-enter power-sharing since the Assembly elections insisting the government do away with the protocol.

Before his departure, Brandon Lewis said he would act on the matter of MLAs' salaries and would not wait as long to act as previous secretaries of state during the last collapse of government.

The government has tabled a bill which is making its ways through the commons on ripping up the protocol.

It has insisted it intends to continue to push through the bill despite the PM's impending departure.

Commons Leader Mark Spencer confirmed that three days of committee stage for the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill will begin on July 13. The line-by-line scrutiny is then expected to continue on July 18 and conclude on July 19, two days before the summer recess for the Commons.

But the Bill will still have a report stage and third reading to clear in the Commons and all stages in the House of Lords, which means Mr Johnson's replacement as Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister could halt its progress.

Legisaltion is also progressing through the Commons on dealing with the past in Northern Ireland. The changes would end inquests and civil cases on Troubles cases as well as establishing a truth recovery body. It has been roundly criticised by all parties in Northern Ireland, but is popular among Tory ranks.

Another item on the new Secretary of State's to-do list, is the matter of abortion in NI. It was made legal in Northern Ireland during the previous collapse of government, however services have yet to be introduced. Brandon Lewis instructed the Department of Health to set up services and warned he would act if it did not.

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