Paterson For NIO Role?

A year on from one of his many visits to NI - while a guest of Ulster Unionists at the Royal Ulster Agricultural Show at Balmoral in 2009 - Owen Paterson has been tipped for the post of Northern Ireland Secretary.

That's just one of many factors that will become clearer at the week progresses after last night's deal between the Tories and Liberal Democrats left David Cameron and Nick Clegg's coalition with a comfortable majority at Westminster.

The Tory party's Shadow Secretary for NI (pictured) appears on track to handle NI affairs.

The NIO Secretary-in-waiting, Owen Paterson was PA to John Biffen in the 1987 General Election and stood as the Parliamentary Candidate himself for Wrexham in 1992. He was elected to Parliament as the member for North Shropshire in May 1997.

He has been a member of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee, the Agriculture Select Committee and the European Scrutiny Select Committee.

He was a PPS to Anne Widdecombe in 2000 and elected to the Executive of the powerful 1922 Committee and appointed an Opposition Whip in July 2000.

In September 2001, he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Right Hon Iain Duncan Smith and remained as such until Mr Duncan Smith stepped down on 6th November 2003.

He was Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food until December 2005, when David Cameron appointed him Shadow Minister of State for Transport.

Since July 2007, he has been Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, the Stormont First Minister Peter Robinson said that he wished the new PM well in dealing with the UK's problems.

Speaking after Mr Cameron became one of the youngest ever Prime Ministers, the defeated East Belfast Westminster candidate said: "As a party we look forward to David Cameron proving himself to be the unionist prime minister that he has promised.

"At Westminster, the DUP will support the government when it acts in the best interests of Northern Ireland and of the UK even where that involves difficult decisions.

"However, it is important that the long-term interests of the United Kingdom are not sacrificed in the interests of short-term political expediency and the DUP will oppose any measures which endanger the sovereignty or safety of the people of the UK."

See: Cameron Becomes Prime Minister

(BMcC/GK)