A former teacher has been appointed head of policy at 10 Downing Street by prime minister Theresa May.

James Marshall, 37, was once an English teacher at the prestigious independent Shrewsbury School where full boarding fees are £35,000 a year.

His new role, reported in The Times today, follows several years working as a special adviser - a political role which involves assisting and advising government ministers.

In 2011, Mr Marshall worked for Lord Strathclyde, the then leader of the House of Lords. He has also been adviser to three of the chief whips in David Cameron’s government: Lord Young of Cookham, Michael Gove and Mark Harper.

Mr Marshall left government last year. His return sees him replace John Godfrey, the head of policy who left last week.