LONDON (Reuters) – Britain named former Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, as a trade adviser on Friday, rejecting complaints from critics that his conservative views about women and gay people made him unfit to represent the United Kingdom.

Some British lawmakers, including the leader of the opposition Labour Party Keir Starmer, have said Abbott, 62, who led Australia from 2013-2015, was not suitable for the job.

The government said on Friday he would become an adviser to Britain’s Board of Trade, which was relaunched in 2017 to champion export and inward investment after Brexit. It is supported by leading figures from the world of politics and business who act as advisers.

“The new Board of Trade will play an important role in helping Britain make the case for free and fair trade across the UK and around the world,” Secretary of State for International Trade, Liz Truss, said in a statement.

(Reporting by Kate Holton; editing by Stephen Addison)

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