Shailesh Vara MP has been promoted by Prime Minister Theresa May to Minister of State for Northern Ireland, having served as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department since January of this year.
The 57 year old Indian-origin MP has his roots in Gujarat, though he was born in Uganda.
He served as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions from July 2015 until July 2016 and at the Ministry of Justice from October 2013 until July 2016. He served as an Assistant Government Whip (HM Treasury) from May 2010 until September 2012. He was elected Conservative MP for North West Cambridgeshire in 2005.
Mr Vara visited India in 2014 to develop the relationship with Narendra Modi further, under the then Prime Minister David Cameron’s leadership. He was presented with the Pravasi Bhartiya Sanman by the Indian Government in recognition of his work in promoting closer ties between the UK and India. It is the highest award that the Indian Government can confer on people of Indian origin who now live abroad. He was also awarded the Gujarat Gaurav Award by the Vishwa Gujarati Samaj. He had concluded his 2014 tour with a visit to Mahatma Gandhi's famous Sabarmati Ashram. In 2016 he was elected as the co-chairman of the Conservative Friends of India.
On his new appointment Mr Vara told Asian Voice, “I am of course very pleased with the promotion. The work in Northern Ireland is hugely important, especially as we leave the European Union, ensuring that there is no hard border with Ireland.”
The Northern Ireland Office is responsible for overseeing the Northern Ireland devolution settlement and representing Northern Ireland interests at UK government level and UK government interests in Northern Ireland. The Minister of State reports to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Mr Vara’s new responsibilities will include: EU Exit, security-related issues and casework, legacy stakeholder management and Parliamentary liaison with the Northern Ireland MPs, the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee and other interested parliamentarians.
