EUROSCEPTIC Bournemouth West MP Conor Burns has been appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

The pair, who both backed Leave in the EU referendum one year ago, have worked together already. Mr Burns is a long-standing supporter of Mr Johnson and joined his Conservative Party leadership bid.

When that failed to get off the ground, he praised Mr Johnson’s appointment to the cabinet, saying he would bring “sunny optimism” to the job.

Mr Burns said he was sorry to be leaving his job as PPS for Greg Clark, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, “the nicest guy in politics”.

However, he is “excited” to be working with Mr Johnson, “a force of nature”.

“One of the things Boris talks about often is his ambition to create a global Brexit. I am well known for stating my view of the centrality of continuing to welcome international students to the UK and to Bournemouth.

“I will use what influence I have with the Foreign Secretary to promote the town’s language schools and Bournemouth University.”

In May last year, Mr Johnson attended a dinner organised by Bournemouth’s Sixty-Six Club at the invitation of Mr Burns, the group’s chairman.

A PPS is an unpaid assistant to a Minister, selected from backbench MPs to be the ‘eyes and ears’ of the Minister in the House of Commons. They often advise the Minister on the state of parliamentary or party opinion.