Saffron Walden's MP Kemi Badenoch has shared her delight at securing a new ministerial role in Boris Johnson's September reshuffle.

Mrs Badenoch has become the new Minister for Levelling Up at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), bringing her 19-month term as Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury to an end.

She will remain Minister for Equalities, a position she was given in February 2020, working with the new foreign secretary Liz Truss MP.

She was appointed amid Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle yesterday (September 15).

Mrs Badenoch said: “I am delighted to have been promoted to Minister of State.

“My role as Minister for Levelling Up will encompass a wide range of responsibilities to ensure delivery of the Government’s ambitious programme to improve opportunities in all parts of the country.

"This includes our constituency.”

Both the Conservative and Labour parties committed to a 'levelling-up agenda' in their manifestos ahead of the last General Election in 2019.

The programme aims to provide jobs and economic growth for people in all parts of the UK.

Boris Johnson promised to invest in rural communities and skills, give local communities control over how investment is made, and create 10 'freeport' economic zones in 2019.

One think tank has warned policy makers that levelling up will be "challenging" after the economic challenges created by Covid-19.

The independent Centre for Cities published a report in June this year which called for investment in five areas - skills, public services, transport, city centres, and research and development.

The Centre for Cities report notes: "The exact definition of levelling up remains vague and the task has been made even more challenging due to the impact of Coronavirus."

Levelling up is the responsibility of multiple government departments, including the MHCLG.

The ministry is led by Michael Gove MP after Robert Jenrick was sacked in yesterday's reshuffle.

Mrs Badenoch's ministerial position is shared with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, led by Liz Truss MP.

A spokesperson from Mrs Badenoch's office said her official responsibilities are yet to be confirmed.