South Swindon MP Sir Robert Buckland thinks the devolved Welsh government needs to focus on delivery with the powers it has now, and not on giving itself more reach.

It might seem an unusual thing for an MP from Swindon to say, but Sir Robert became the, somewhat surprise, choice of Boris Johnson for his cabinet after a slew of resignations.

One of those calls for Boris Johnson to resign came from Mr Buckland himself, who had been sacked from his cabinet job as  Justice Secretary  by Mr Johnson only last September.

He said: “I certainly didn’t wake up that morning expecting to be in cabinet by the end of the day.

“And I think I’ve explained why I took the job - the work of government needs to carry on.”

In some ways it makes sense to appoint Sir Robert to the Welsh office: he was born and brought up in Llanelli and is a Welsh speaker.

But some may see it odd that an MP answerable to the voters of Swindon should be the government’s voice in Wales.

Mr Buckland doesn’t see it as an issue: “If I was an MP for a Welsh constituency then I’d still only be directly accountable to the voters in that constituency.

“As a United Kingdom MP and a minister in a unionist government I’m answerable to everyone in the UK. If the people of Wales want to get rid of me as the Secretary of State for Wales, then they need to vote for different parties at elections and help get a different government elected.

“But in cabinet I’m proud to speak up for Wales and make sure it gets its share of funding and what it needs.”

How does a Conservative Welsh Secretary get on with a Labour Welsh government, headed by Mark Drakeford, who is normally described as being to the left of the party?

Sir Robert says: “I want to have a business-like relationship with the Welsh government. My job is much more of a convenor role, bringing different agencies including the Welsh Government together.

“But I don’t think now is the time for it to be trying to get more powers. And it’s talking about expanding the number of members of the Senedd and lowing the voting age. I think that should be only through a referendum.

“The Welsh government should concentrate on using the powers it has on delivering, particularly on education and health.”

The relationship between the Welsh Office and the government in Cardiff may be worth watching as it develops.