The former Conservative MP defected to the UK Independence Party in 2014 before calling a by-election. His re-election in UKIP colours was a major boost for the party and put pressure on former Prime Minister David Cameron to hold a referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU. Mr Carswell, who was also one of the founders and a director of the Vote Leave campaign, has now been appointed as a non-executive director to the Department for International Trade (DIT), alongside Andrew Hood, Dominic Johnson and economist Dr Dambisa Moyo. Mr Carswell said: "I’m so excited to be supporting this government as they get Brexit done.