Shailesh Vara served in the Cameron government as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Courts and Legal Aid from 2013 to 2016 and as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2015 to 2016.
19 Facts About Shailesh Vara
2.
Shailesh Vara returned to the backbenches in July 2016, having been removed from his positions by the new Prime Minister Theresa May In the January 2018 reshuffle, he re-entered government as Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office, serving under Karen Bradley.
3.
In November 2018, Shailesh Vara resigned from this role in opposition to May's draft Brexit withdrawal agreement.
4.
Shailesh Vara has been a senior legal adviser and business consultant for London First, and is vice-president of the Small Business Bureau.
5.
Shailesh Vara has been involved with the Conservative Party since the late 1980s and has held various posts at local, regional and national levels.
6.
Shailesh Vara served as a Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party from 2001 to 2005.
7.
Shailesh Vara was elected Member of Parliament for North West Cambridgeshire in May 2005.
8.
Shailesh Vara had previously contested the Birmingham Ladywood seat at the 1997 general election, which Labour's Clare Short won easily, and Northampton South in the 2001 general election, which Vara failed to win by only 885 votes.
9.
On 30 June 2016, Shailesh Vara confirmed his support for Michael Gove in the impending Conservative leadership contest.
10.
Shailesh Vara is a man of conviction with a very sharp intellect.
11.
Shailesh Vara cares passionately about Britain and I believe he has the necessary qualities to lead our negotiations with the EU.
12.
The Breast Cancer Bill was Shailesh Vara's chosen issue after he was one of 20 MPs who were selected at random to introduce a private member's bill to the House of Commons in 2006.
13.
The proposal was not supported by the government, which Shailesh Vara claimed effectively blocked its progress by talking through to the end of the debate.
14.
Shailesh Vara has given his backing to Breast Cancer Campaigns award-winning national "wear it pink" day, and showed his support for breast cancer charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer at a meeting in the House of Commons.
15.
Early on 15 November 2018, Shailesh Vara announced his resignation as a Northern Ireland Minister on Twitter, posting his letter of resignation.
16.
Shailesh Vara's resignation followed the previous day's marathon-length cabinet meeting to discuss the draft Brexit withdrawal agreement.
17.
Shailesh Vara was opposed to Brexit prior to the referendum on the UK's continued EU membership in June 2016.
18.
However, Shailesh Vara resigned from his role at the Northern Ireland Office as he did not believe the Government's proposed exit agreement honoured the outcome of the referendum.
19.
On 7 July 2022, Shailesh Vara was appointed as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland by outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson, replacing Brandon Lewis.