Tory MPs Tim Loughton and Howard Flight have been appointed to the Front Bench of the Conservative Party.

New party leader Iain Duncan Smith has also announced Charles Hendry, who was elected MP for Wealden at the June General Election, is to be made a junior in the whips' office.

The appointments take the total number of Sussex MPs with official Opposition roles to four. Eastbourne MP Nigel Waterson had already been given the job of shadow minister of state for trade and industry.

Arundel and South Downs MP Howard Flight, who has a wealth of experience in the City, is to be one of the party's treasury spokesmen.

He held the same post under former leader William Hague and told The Argus he was delighted to have kept his brief.

He said: "My job will be to provide continuity and experience to the treasury team.

"It is a good team and I look forward to working with them."

Mr Loughton, MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, is to join the party's team speaking on health issues.

He was previously Mr Hague's environment spokesman but has health experience as a member of a community health council.

Earlier this year, he harangued ministers over the shortage of GPs in Sussex, saying: "The Government has failed abysmally to deliver on national health services."

He said he was looking forward to working with the health team, led by Dr Liam Fox.