MP speaks of his delight at being selected for honour
Shropshire MP Mark Pritchard has spoken of his delight and surprise at being elected to the privy council.
Mr Pritchard, MP for The Wrekin, will sit on the council body which acts as a formal link between the monarch and the Government.
Like cabinet ministers, he will now be formally styled as the Rt Hon Mark Pritchard.
"It came as a total surprise, it is a great honour to be appointed by Her Majesty the Queen to this role," he said.
The Privy Council formally advises the sovereign on the exercise of the royal prerogative.
It also holds the delegated authority to issue Orders of Council, which regulate public institutions.
The council also advises the sovereign on the issuing of royal charters, which are used to grant special status to incorporated bodies, including city or borough status to local authorities.
Mr Pritchard, who has represented The Wrekin since 2005, has long been involved with issues of defence and national security.
At the moment he sits on the intelligence and security committee in Parliament, and he also served for five years on the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy.
He has also served as joint secretary of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs.
The Privy Council includes all cabinet ministers, former prime ministers, and leaders of the official opposition.
Other members include the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince of Wales, the current and former Speakers of the House of Commons, archbishops and senior bishops, senior courtiers, senior backbenchers and and senior judges.
It typically meets once a month, and meetings are presided over by the Queen.
