PENDLE MP Andrew Stephenson has been made a Lord Commissioners of the Treasury and a Pairing Whip following a ministerial reshuffle.

This means he has responsibility for accommodating any MPs who need to be absent from a vote in Parliament.

In the House of Commons, pairing is an informal arrangement between the government and opposition parties whereby a MP agrees to abstain from voting while a member of the other party needs to be absent from the House due to other commitments, illness, travel problems, etc.

Mr Stephenson said he was looking forward to what the new role will bring.

He said: “I am very pleased to remain in the Whips Office and take on this new broader role. Representing Pendle will of course remain my top priority, but I am looking forward to this new challenge.”

“Given the government’s small majority, we all need to work together in Parliament to get legislation through where there is consensus and I hope to play a part in that working closely with the opposition whips offices.

“It is a real honour to be appointed and I am looking forward to continuing working closely with the Government Chief Whip, Julian Smith, the MP for Skipton and Ripon.”

Mr Stephenson, who lives in Colne, was first elected to Parliament in 2010.

He has served in the Government Whips Office since June 2017, when he promoted in the reshuffle following the General Election.

The Government Whips Office is responsible for administering the whipping system, which ensures that MPs attend and vote in Parliament.

Mr Stephenson had previously served as a parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to four different ministers prior to joining the whips office.

More recently he had been PPS to Boris Johnson, the secretary of state for foreign and commonwealth affairs.