He was appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions as of yesterday. He served as a Government Whip (Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury) from 17 July 2016 to 14 June 2017 and was was elected Conservative MP for Hexham in May 2010. He replaces Richard Harrington who has moved to a new role at the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy.

The pensions minister role is being widened to include financial inclusion strategy.

Mr Opperman has been a frequent campaigner on local issues including hospital closures in the past and some have described him as on the "left" of the Conservative party.

He was educated at Harrow School and went on to read law at the University of Birmingham. He also gained a first class diploma from the University of Lille.

He previously served as Private Parliamentary Secretary to Mark Harper, the then Immigration Minister and served as an Assistant Government Whip from May 2015 until July 2016.

He was was called to the bar in 1989 and spent 20 years as a barrister. and was also director of his family’s engineering business until 2009.

Outside of work he is is an amateur jockey and rode his first win in 1985. The DWP says his title will be Parliamentary Under Secretary for Pensions and Financial Inclusion and his ministerial responsibilities will be confirmed “in due course.”

There are reports that measures to tackle pension scams may be included in the forthcoming Queen's Speech and this may be part of his remit.