Ian Botham and Black Country MP Marco Longhi handed UK trade envoy roles
A Black Country MP has been named the UK's trade envoy to Brazil.
Marco Longhi said he hoped the role would lead to a jobs boost for the region after he became one of 10 new trade tsars appointed by Boris Johnson.
The others include England and Worcestershire cricket legend Ian Botham, a staunch Brexiteer who has been tasked with drumming up trade in Australia.
International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said the envoys roles will see them promote UK trade, drive economic growth and encourage investment.
Mr Longhi was a councillor in Walsall and served as borough mayor before he was elected Dudley North MP in 2019. He previously worked in the gas and oil industries in Brazil, where he met his wife Andrea.
Mr Longhi said he was "very exited" about the opportunities his new role presented for both countries.
"I want to develop stronger bilateral opportunities and arrangements," he said. "This will bring more trade and will mean more jobs for UK plc and of course for the Black Country."
Lord Botham's appointment comes after Britain signed its first post-Brexit trade deal with Australia, meaning products including cars, Scotch whisky, biscuits and ceramics will be cheaper to sell Down Under.
The hero of the 1981 Ashes series spent a year playing for Queensland in Australia before a four-year stint at Worcestershire, during which the club won two county championships.
He said: “It’s a great honour to carry out this role in a country that I love and have come to know so well.
“I have spent a significant amount of my career in Australia, and I am excited to have the opportunity.”
Ms Truss said: “Our Trade Envoys play a key role in delivering our ambitious global trade agenda, and I am delighted the Prime Minister has appointed ten Trade Envoys who will boost opportunities for British businesses in some of the world’s fastest growing markets.
“By boosting exports, promoting inward investment and creating high-value, high-paying jobs, our Trade Envoys will help us build back better from Covid-19, ensuring every part of the UK benefits from our trade strategy.”
Other appointments include Baroness Kate Hoey, the former Labour MP, who is the new trade envoy to Ghana. DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has been given the equivalent role for Cameroon.
Conservative MP David Mundell has been made trade envoy to New Zealand, and Labour MP Stephen Timms takes up the same post for Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Former Labour MP John Woodcock, who endorsed the Tories at the last general election, has been appointed to Tanzania, and there are also roles for Tory MPs Mark Eastwood (Pakistan), Conor Burns (Canada) and Felicity Buchan (Iceland and Norway).
