NORTH East Hampshire MP James Arbuthnot has won himself a place in the shadow cabinet following a week of changes at Conservative Party headquarters.
Michael Howard, the new leader of the opposition, appointed Mr Arbuthnot as his shadow trade spokesman earlier this week as part of the ToriesÕ bid to regain power.
The MP is not new to the game and served as a Minister for State Procurement during the last conservative government and was also made shadow chief whip by William Hague.
After a two year absence from the shadow government, Mr Arbuthnot will now act as a trade spokesperson.
Mr Arbuthnot said he was honoured to be offered the position and although he remains excited about the future, promised he would not neglect his constituents.
He said: ÒWhile I am looking forward to my new responsibilities, I will never forget that my first role is and always will be, as the constituency representative of North East Hampshire.Ó
He added: ÒI am very pleased indeed to have been asked to be the trade spokesman for the opposition - there is a huge task to be done in establishing that the conservatives can offer a credible alternative to the government and I am honoured to have been asked to play a part in that task.Ó
ÒTrade is the lifeblood of the economies of the world - where there is flourishing trade it is much less likely that there will be a war, and Britain is a trading nation.Ó
ÒIt is bad for the world, and bad for Britain when the world talks break down, as they have been recently, so there is much work to be done and I am looking forward to doing it.Ó
Mr Arbuthnot has represented North East Hampshire and the defunct Wanstead and Woodford constituency for nearly two decades and is highly regarded in the conservative party.
He was William HagueÕs campaign manager following the 1997 general election and has also been a councillor for the esteemed Kensington and Chelsea borough.