Latest civil service & public affairs moves – November 3-17

UK government

• Prime Minister's Office – Michael Butterwick appointed as His Majesty's lord-lieutenant of the County of Durham on 1 April 2026, succeeding Dame Susan Snowdon who is retiring.
• Department for Culture, Media and Sport: National Heritage Memorial Fund – Julian Glover, Taryn Nixon and Carol Pyrah re-appointed as trustees for four years. Reviewing Committee for the Export of Work of Art – Mark Hallett and Tim Pestell re-appointed as Members until 12 August 2029. Royal Armouries Museum – Barbara Woroncow re-appointed as trustee for four years from 1 January 2026.
• Ministry of Defence: Independent Monitoring Board for the Military Corrective Training Centre – Elizabeth Connelly re-appointed as member for five years until 26 February 2030.
• Department for Education – Dame Annie Hudson appointed to lead the review into the operations of Social Work England from November until spring 2026. Further Education Commissioner – Gillian May appointed as deputy further education commissioner for three years from 1 June 2026; Graham Razey appointed as deputy further education commissioner for three years from 1 December; Esme Winch appointed as deputy further education commissioner for three years from 2 January 2026. Office for Students – Professor Chris Millward appointed as interim director for fair access and participation.
• Department for Energy Security and Net Zero – Alan Whitehead appointed as minister of state for energy security and net zero and will receive a life peerage.
• Department of Health and Social Care: Health Research Authority – Mark Buswell appointed as chair of the Audit and Risk Committee until 31 January 2029.
• Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority – Professor Christine Watson re-appointed as member for three years from 1 May 2026. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency – Professor Jacob George appointed as the first chief medical and scientific officer.
• Home Office: Biometrics Commissioner – Professor William Webster appointed as biometrics commissioner for two years from 1 November.
• Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Queen Elizabeth II Centre Trading Fund – Lindsey Hoy and Mark Riches re-appointed as non-executive directors for three years until September 2028. Slough Borough Council – Kim Wright appointed as commissioner from 5 November until 30 November 2026. Woking Borough Council – Barry Scarr re-appointed as finance commissioner until 24 May 2028.
• Ministry of Justice: Online Procedure Rule Committee – Gerard Boyers, Brett Dixon and Sarah Stephens re-appointed as members for three years from 1 June 2026 until 31 May 2029. Victims Commissioner – Victims commissioner Baroness Newlove died on 11 November. The commissioner’s office remains operational and will continue to carry out the work Newlove directed until the end of her tenure on 31 December. Claire Waxman will take over as victims commissioner on 1 January 2026.
• Department for Science, Innovation and Technology – David Knott to stand down as chief technology officer in December.
• HM Treasury – Sam Beckett to retire in the new year. Monetary Policy Committee – Megan Greene re-appointed as external member until 4 July 2029. National Savings and Investments – David Woodward re-appointed as non-executive director until January 2029.
• Department for Work and Pensions – Alan Milburn appointed to lead an independent investigation into rising youth inactivity called the ‘Pathway to Work’ report, due to be published in summer 2026.
• Non-ministerial departments: Charity Commission – Dame Julia Unwin announced as the government’s preferred candidate for chair, subject to pre-appointment scrutiny by the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee on 25 November; Mark Simms’ tenure as interim chair extended until 24 January 2026.

Houses of Parliament

House of Commons

• Neil Duncan-Jordan, Chris Hinchliff, Brian Leishman and Rachael Maskell had the Labour whip reinstated on 7 November.

Committees

• Backbench Business – Lee Dillon added; Jess Brown-Fuller discharged.
• Culture, Media and Sport – Cameron Thomas added; Zöe Franklin discharged.
• Energy Security and Net Zero – Graeme Downie and Lizzie Collinge added; Luke Murphy and Anneliese Midgley discharged.
• Justice – Vikki Slade added; Josh Babarinde discharged.
• Northern Ireland Affairs – Paul Kohler added; Al Pinkerton discharged.
• Science, Innovation and Technology – Freddie van Mierlo added; Tom Gordon discharged.
• Women and Equalities – Nia Griffith added; Samantha Niblett discharged.
• UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly – Nia Griffith and Wera Hobhouse added; Catherine Fookes and James MacCleary discharged.
• UK Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe – Michael Payne added; Dave Robertson discharged.
• UK Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly – Feryal Clark added; Nesil Caliskan discharged.
• UK Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – Louise Haigh and Helen Maguire added; Mike Martin and Jon Pearce discharged.

House of Lords

• Baroness Newlove (Conservative) died on 11 November.
• Alan Whitehead will receive a life peerage following his appointment as minister of state for energy security and net zero in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on 11 November.
• Lord Frost was Conservative, now sits as non-affiliated.
• Lord Wasserman was Conservative, now sits as non-affiliated.
• Chloe Mawson appointed as clerk of the Parliaments from 2 April 2026, succeeding Simon Burton who is retiring.

Committees

• House of Lords Commission – Alice Maynard appointed as external member; Nora Senior discharged.
• Communications and Digital – Bishop of Leeds discharged.
• Liaison – Lord Storey added; Lord Purvis of Tweed discharged.
• UK Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe – Lord Jones of Penybont appointed as the leader in place of Lord Touhig.

Devolved administrations

Welsh Parliament

• Member Accountability Bill Committee – Sam Rowlands added; Paul Davies discharged.

Welsh Government

• Dysgu – Kate Williams appointed as director of leadership; Meurig Jones appointed as director of professional learning.

Northern Ireland Assembly

• Stephen Wright appointed as Northern Ireland Assembly commissioner for standards.

Northern Ireland Executive

• Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside – John Martin, Noel Rice and Rosemary Thomas re-appointed as members for one year.

Local authorities

Councils

• Buckinghamshire Council – Racheal Shimmin to stand down as chief executive by the end of 2025.
• Havant Council – Matt Goodwin appointed as chief executive from 10 November, replacing Steve Jorden.
• York Council – Richard Webb appointed as chief executive from April 2026, replacing Ian Floyd.

Police and Crime Commissioners

• PCC roles are set to be scrapped going forward, when current commissioners’ terms end in 2028.

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