Leading Conservative MP Shailesh Vara has been appointed shadow deputy leader of Britain's House of Commons, the first ethnic minority Tory to sit on the front bench.
The appointment came as part of the mini-reshuffle by Conservative leader David Cameron. The new role means Vara, of Indian-origin, will be deputy to Theresa May, Shadow leader of the House.
"I was a little surprised when David offered me the job but delighted to have an opportunity to be part of the Conservative front bench team," Vara said. "It will be a steep learning curve and hard work but I am thoroughly looking forward to the challenge."
Vara is the Member of Parliament for North West Cambridgeshire and was elected in May 2005. He is also vice chairman of the Party nationally and lives in the constituency with his wife, Beverley, and baby son.
Vara has been involved with the Conservative party since the late 1980s and has held various posts at local, regional and national levels. As vice chairman of the party he had a broad range of responsibilities. These included advising Michael Howard, deputising for the party chairman and spokesman with the media and looking after Conservative Future (which comprises the 10,000 or so people in the party under 30).
