Nicky Morgan has been reappointed culture secretary, despite having retired from the House of Commons as a member of parliament.

In a surprise move, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has made Morgan a life peer, allowing her to continue to lead the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) from the House of Lords.

Her post is, however, understood to be a temporary one, ahead of a major reshuffle of the cabinet in January – expected to take place after Britain has left the European Union.

Morgan, the former MP for Loughborough, announced she would stand down following the December general election. In October, she published an open letter in which she cited the "abuse for doing the job of a modern MP” as part of the reason for her decision.