DORSET'S only Labour MP has been rewarded for hanging on to his marginal seat with a place in Tony Blair's government.

Jim Knight boosted his slender 153-vote majority to an impressive 1,812 at last week's election to secure a second term as MP for South Dorset.

And his victory was swiftly followed by a call from the prime minister, offering him a junior ministerial position in the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Mr Knight said: "I was hopeful that I would be asked to join the government in some capacity but I certainly wasn't expecting this particular responsibility, which is very exciting.

"My official title is parliamentary under-secretary at Defra, but Tony Blair has asked me to be the rural affairs minister.

"I'm really pleased. In one week I've had the work that I've done for the constituency acknowledged by my constituents and then a few days later, I've had the work I've done in London acknowledged by the prime minister."

Mr Knight replaces Alun Michael, who had the unenviable task of spearheading the government's ban on hunting with dogs.

The issue brought fierce criticism from the Countryside Alliance and other pro-hunt supporters and, at the height of the conflict, Mr Michael was forced to cancel a planned trip to Dorset's Jurassic Coast on police advice.

But Mr Knight said he already had a good understanding of rural concerns from his constituents and he looked forward to developing this.

And he added his biggest priority for Purbeck was to tackle the lack of affordable housing.

"While I don't have any direct responsibility for housing, it's at the top of the manifesto commitment in terms of rural affairs," he said.

Labour's manifesto proposed changing planning law so areas on the edges of villages can be solely designated for affordable housing.

Plans have yet to be drawn up to tackle the high percentages of Purbeck properties already in second home ownership. For example, 61 per cent of dwellings in Worth Matravers are second homes.

Jim Knight said: "It is difficult to force people to sell back into social housing but there is a certain amount of that type of activity going on - a few council houses are being brought back but it's very limited because of funding availability and the very high cost of housing we suffer from in Purbeck."

First published: May 11