JUST 50 days after being appointed as Minister of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Thurrock MP Jackie Doyle-Price has once again returned to the backbenches.

Not for the first time the local MP has found herself a pawn in the political chess game as ministers move their favoured choices around.

Ms Doyle-Price, a long time friend of former PM Liz Truss was appointed to the post in early September as a new government structure was announced.

However, following the demise of Ms Truss and the election of Rishi Sunak, Ms Doyle Price was replaced by Mid Norfolk MP George Freeman.

Mr Foreman, like Ms Doyle-Price first elected in 2010, is himself no stranger to the roller-coaster of appointment and demotion of junior ministers in his political career.

Among the positions he has been appointed to and lost are Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy), Minister of State (Department for Transport), Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) and Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health).

Ms Doyle-Price has also been a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Health and was briefly Minister for Suicide Prevention and Mental Health, a new position in the Department of Health and Social Care, before leaving left the government following the election of Boris Johnson as leader of the Conservative Party.

Neither the government, nor Ms Doyle-Price has commented on the latest change.

However, following the election of Rishy Sunak as leader, Ms Doyle-Price did offer the new incumbent at No 10 her best wishes and said his sound economic judgement will serve the country well.