Shailesh Vara was appointed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson after Brandon Lewis resigned in a cabinet revolt
Northern Ireland's new Secretary of State has strongly denied claims that he once asked an official if he "needed a passport to go to Derry".
Mr Vara was appointed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday after Brandon Lewis resigned alongside scores of Conservative ministers in a cabinet revolt.The North West Cambridgeshire MP was previously an NIO minister in Theresa May's government but quit in 2018 in opposition to the then Prime Minister's proposed Brexit agreement.
"Moreover, not only was the previous tenure of the Secretary of State's work in the Northern Ireland Office reported inaccurately , but an official would also never refer to Derry/Londonderry as 'Derry'. Mr Vara on Friday made his first visit to Northern Ireland since his appointment as Secretary of State, during which he met young people in Belfast supported by the Prince's Trust.
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