VIDEO: New Northern Ireland Secretary Shailesh Vara blasts ‘fake news’ claim that he asked whether he needed a passport to visit Londonderry

Mr Vara took up the post, which basically makes him the London government’s top representative in the Province, having previously served as Brandon Lewis’ junior for a time in 2018.

Mr Lewis quit as the previous NI Secretary earlier in the month, as part of the plot to bring down Boris Johnson.

Mr Vara himself had also quit his junior NIO minister’s post in 2018 in protest over post-Brexit trading plans.

On the subject of the passport claim, which was made by Labour leader Keir Starmer in the Commons on July 13 (prompting Mr Vara to vigorously shake his head),

Mr Vara told the press today: “We now sadly live in a world where people can put out fake news and then it just escalates in the world of social media... I can confirm it is utter and absolute nonsense.

“I am determined not to focus on trivialities like that because my job as Secretary of State is to deal with the real issues that concern the people of Northern Ireland, and that’s where I want to focus my attention.”

Mr Vara was today visiting the Atlas Women’s Centre in Lisburn, Co Antrim.

The minister acknowledged “huge challenges ahead of us”, adding that he wants to “help in the process of trying to get the Executive up and running again” to spend the “£400 million available to help the people of Northern Ireland”.

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