Meon Valley MP Flick Drummond has been appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to International Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan.

The unpaid promotion means Ms Drummond will become the eyes and ears of the minister in Parliament and liaise with other Members of Parliament on her behalf. She said: “I am delighted to join Anne-Marie in this department where I have a great deal of interest, especially in the Middle East.

“It is also a great way to learn the ropes of government and I look forward to being part of the Department for International Development and seeing how the United Kingdom uses its aid budget across the world.”

Technically a Parliamentary Private Secretary is not considered to be part of the government.

However, they are expected to support it in votes and must resign if they vote against the government.