Chris Bryant has been appointed as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland by the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
The previous Northern Ireland Secretary, Hilary Benn, announced on Monday afternoon that he is returning to the backbenches.
Mr Bryant most recently worked as Minister of State for Trade and has previously held junior minister roles in the Department for Business and Trade and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
He represents the Welsh constituency of Rhondda and Ogmore and has been an MP since 2001.
This is a promotion for Mr Bryant, who will now attend cabinet for the first time.
In 2024, Bryant commented on the prospect of a border poll: “You can never predict what is going to happen in the future just because of what happened in the past but, yes, that (a border poll) may come at some point, I don’t know.”
When asked whether there should be a poll, he said: “It is not for me to decide what should happen in Northern Ireland. That’s for the people of Northern Ireland.”
