A NORTH Yorkshire MP has been sacked from his position as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon, was axed from the position following Boris Johnson’s government reshuffle.

In a post on Twitter, Mr Smith said: “Serving the people of Northern Ireland has been the biggest privilege.

“I am extremely grateful to Boris Johnson for giving me the chance to serve this amazing part of our country. The warmth & support from people across NI has been incredible. Thank you so much.”

Marty Adams of historical abuse victims campaign group Survivors Together had earlier said sacking Mr Smith, who helped broker the deal to restore the Stormont administration, would be “disastrous”, adding: “We won’t find his like again.”

Meanwhile, MP for Richmond, in North Yorkshire, Rishi Sunak, was promoted to Chancellor of the Exchequer, after the surprise resignation of Sajid Javid - just 27 days before the next budget.

We are still awaiting the news as to whether MP for Selby and Ainsty, Nigel Adams, will remain as Minister for Sport, Media and Culture.