Theresa May has said her new role as shadow secretary of state for the family will lead to a "clearer focus" for Conservative policy.

In an interview with ePolitix.com, May said party leader Michael Howard had given her a "genuinely cross-cutting portfolio".

She said her post "brings together a number of issues that are currently spread out over a number of different departments".

"Part of my task is to bring these various strands together with a clearer focus on what is actually going to work for the family," she told this website.

"It’s addressing those instances where a policy seems to make sense in one context but doesn’t work so well when it interacts with policy from another department."

A surprise reshuffle earlier this month saw May moved from her post as shadow local government, environment and transport secretary to her current role.

May said her approach to the new role would be "about looking ahead".

"It’s about recognising the world that we live in today and realising that families come in a variety of shapes and sizes," she said.

"A lot of people have assumed it’s just about families with children but it actually means families in the widest sense.

"For example one of the issues that has been raised with me concerning marriage break-up is what happens to the rights of grandparents to see their grandchildren. It’s going to be genuinely wide-ranging."