EPPING Forest MP Eleanor Laing has said she is "proud and pleased" at being appointed a special government representative to Gibraltar.

Mrs Laing's new job will see her acting as a go-between for the Ministry of Defence and officials in the British territory, which is located on the coast of southern Spain, on a range of security issues.

The Conservative MP has a longstanding interest in the region which she says was sparked by visits to her cousin who lives and works there as a hairdresser.

She said: "I've had an interest in Gibraltar for many years. It's a very interesting and unusual place - and a very British place.

"I was heavily involved when the last Labour Government were in negotiations with Spain over its sovereignty and I was also an observer for the Electoral Reform Society during the referendum in which 98 per cent voted to remain British."

Mrs Laing declined to go into specifics about her new role for security reasons, but said: "I will be working with figures such as the commander of the British forces and the Governor of Gibraltar.

"It's a very important place to the Ministry of Defence, and the ministry is very important to Gibraltar. It's a very important relationship."

Mrs Laing, who has resigned from her job as chair of the all-party parliamentary Gibraltar group to take up the position, said she would only visit the territory "three or four" times a year and denied it would distract from her constituency work.

She said: "When we were challenging the Labour Government over the sovereignty issue I had enormous support from people in Epping Forest for Gibraltar and for it to remain British.

"I know my constituents care very much about it too.

"Both Epping Forest and Gibraltar are full of patriotic people who are very proud of their country."

Announcing the appointment in the House of Commons earlier this week, Armed Forces Minister Nick Harvey said: "Mrs Laing's role as special representative will be to work... on a range of issues connected with the continued presence of the permanent joint operating base."

It is the first government role for Mrs Laing. Pundits had predicted early last year that the MP would secure a place in the Cabinet if the Conservatives were to win the May 2010 election.

But she was denied a role when the party went into coalition with the Liberal Democrats.