Sajid Javid has been appointed as new secretary of state for culture, media, sport and equalities, replacing Maria Miller who resigned this morning.

He joins the cabinet having previously occupied the most senior ministerial role outside of it: financial secretary to the treasury.

Javid is a muslim and became the Conservative party’s first British-Pakistani MP when he was elected as member for Bromsgrove in 2010.

The son of a bus driver, Javid pursued a successful career in banking, before taking an estimated 98 per cent pay cut to become an MP.

His appointment was warmly received by top Tories, with several – including Lord Ashcroft, George Freeman and Andrew Griffiths – tweeting their approval.

The move also elicited a positive response from the Sport & Recreation Alliance, which tweeted to Javid's official account: "Congrats on new appointment. From your CASC work we know you get sport."

Meanwhile, Kurt Janson, policy director for the tourism alliance said: "Sajid Javid is a real star in the party. He comes from the Treasury – which is really useful – and importantly, he understands tourism.

"The Tourism Alliance had a meeting with Sajid last year and he was very impressive. His south east Asian banking background means that he’s very aware of the need to be open to tourists from the region."