Government minister James Brokenshire has been discharged from hospital following surgery to remove his right lung.

The security minister was diagnosed with lung cancer two years ago which required surgery to remove the upper lobe of his right lung but suffered a recurrence of a tumour in the organ.

Mr Brokenshire said the “somewhat troublesome” lung had now been removed by surgeons at Guy’s Hospital in south London.

The Old Bexley and Sidcup MP said he received “utterly outstanding” care from the NHS and was keeping “positive and upbeat” as he began the rehabilitation process following his discharge on Sunday night.

“A heartfelt thank you to the amazing NHS thoracic surgical, anaesthetist and theatre teams at Guy’s Hospital for performing my lung removal and to the incredible team on Dorcas Ward for getting me through the challenging days since,” he said.

“They are all superstars.”

When he announced that further surgery was needed in January, Mr Brokenshire said he was “completely overwhelmed” by the messages of support he received.