BRAINTREE’S MP has called his promotion an "honour" after being announced as the new Foreign Secretary following the election of Liz Truss as the country's new Prime Minister.

Ms Truss won the race on Monday after beating fellow candidate Rishi Sunak in the Conservative party leadership contest.

Backed early on by Braintree MP James Cleverly, Ms Truss’s rise to top of the party has proved beneficial for the now former Education Secretary.

It has been a fairly meteoric rise for Mr Cleverly.

Born in Lewisham, the 53-year-old replaced Brooks Newmark as Braintree MP in 2015.

Mr Cleverly, who also serves as a Lieutenant Colonel in the army reserves, previously served in the Foreign Office as Minister of State for the Middle East North Africa and North America, and Minister of State for Europe and North America from 2020 until being named Education Secretary.

In 2019, he also served as chairman of the Conservative Party.

The role is expected to be a challenging one with Britain’s role in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, relations with Putin’s Russia, constant tensions in the Middle East and rocky relationships with NATO allies.

However, the new job will be just one more stress on the shoulders of Mr Cleverly who is also supporting his wife’s battle with cancer.

Susie Cleverly was diagnosed in late 2021, but the Braintree MP has been open with her battle and recovery from the illness.

Mr Cleverly is backing Ms Truss to succeeded, telling the PA news agency: "I’m going to support her in whatever way I’m able to because I think she’s going to be a fantastic prime minister.

“She’s got a tough job to do but I know she’ll hit the ground running and use the campaign experience that she has got to deliver good government for the country."

Taking to social media, the new foreign secretary called the appointment an honour and set out his aims for the .

He tweeted: "It’s an honour to be appointed to lead the @FCDOUK as Foreign Secretary.

"(The United Kingdom) will continue to work with allies around the world to defend freedom, promote our values, and increase prosperity.