Hertsmere MP Oliver Dowden has returned to the heart of Government following the appointment of Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister.

Mr Dowden has been appointed as the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, which means he will be running the Cabinet Office.

The 44-year-old, who has twice backed Mr Sunak to become Prime Minister, has been described by national media as one of Mr Sunak’s “closest allies”.

The former Parmiter's School pupil said he was “delighted” by his new job, and accompanying a photo of him with Mr Sunak, tweeted “let’s get to work”.

Mr Dowden most recently served as the chairman of the Conservative party but resigned from the position, along with the Minister without Portfolio role, in June following MP by-election defeats in Wakefield and Tiverton & Honiton.

Before then, after being appointed by Boris Johnson, he served as the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport but was reshuffled in September 2021.

Mr Dowden first became an MP when he was elected in Hertsmere in 2015.

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