Latest civil service & public affairs moves – December 6

Government departments

• Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy – Abigail Morris appointed as director of communications.
• Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: British Museum – Lord Marland and Priyanka Wadhawan appointed as trustees for four years from 1 December to 30 November 2025. Charity Commission – Martin Thomas announced as the government's preferred candidate as chair. Thomas will appear at the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee on 9 December for pre-appointment scrutiny. He is expected to take up the post at the end of the interim chair's current term on 26 December.
• Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – Helen Winterton appointed Her Majesty's ambassador to the Tunisian Republic in December, succeeding Edward Oakden CMG, and air chief marshal Sir Stuart Peach appointed as the prime minister's special envoy to the Western Balkans.
• Department of Health and Social Care – Matthew Style appointed director-general of the NHS policy and performance group.
• Home Office: Independent Family Returns Panel – Dr Janice Waters, Joma Wellings Longmore, Dr Peter Sidgwick and Orla Ohagan appointed to the panel for three years.
• Department for International Trade – Jon Tunney appointed as director of communications.
• Department for Work and Pensions: National Employment Savings Trust (Nest) Corporation – Brendan McCafferty appointed as chair for five years from 1 February 2022.
• Prime Minister's Office – The Reverend Lynne Cullens’ nomination to the suffragan see of Barking approved, succeeding The Right Reverend Peter Hill who retired on 4 August.

Houses of Parliament

House of Commons

• Public Accounts Committee – Kemi Badenoch discharged; Helen Whately added.

• Old Bexley and Sidcup by-election – Louie French held the seat for the Conservatives with a majority of 4,478.

House of Lords

• Lord Warner (CB) is no longer on a leave of absence.

• Bishop of Newcastle retired from the House of Lords on 30 November.

• Lord Bowness was non-affiliated, now crossbench.

Political parties

Labour shadow cabinet reshuffle

• Jonathan Reynolds appointed shadow secretary of state for business and industrial dtrategy, was shadow secretary of state for work and pensions.

• Ed Miliband appointed shadow secretary of state for climate change and net zero, was shadow secretary of state for business,  energy and industrial strategy.

• Lisa Nandy appointed shadow secretary of state for levelling up, housing, communities and local government, was shadow foreign secretary.

• Lucy Powell appointed shadow secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, was shadow secretary of state for housing.

• Bridget Phillipson appointed shadow secretary of state for education, was shadow chief secretary to the treasury.

• Jim McMahon appointed shadow secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs, was shadow secretary of state for transport.

• David Lammy appointed shadow foreign secretary, was shadow secretary of state for justice.

• Wes Streeting appointed shadow secretary of state for health and social care, was shadow decretary of dtate for child poverty strategy.

• Yvette Cooper appointed shadow home secretary, was chair of home affairs select committee.

• Nick Thomas-Symonds appointed shadow secretary of state for international trade, was shadow home secretary.

• Steve Reed appointed shadow secretary of state for justice, was shadow secretary of state for communities and local government.

• Louise Haigh appointed shadow secretary of state for transport, was shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland.

• Jon Ashworth appointed shadow secretary of state for work and pensions, was shadow secretary of state for health and social care.

• Emily Thornberry appointed shadow attorney general, was shadow secretary of state for international trade.

• Pat McFadden appointed shadow chief secretary to the treasury, was shadow economic secretary.

• Jo Stevens appointed shadow secretary of state for Wales, was shadow secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport.

• Peter Kyle appointed shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland, was shadow minister for schools.

• Angela Rayner, Anneliese Dodds, Shabana Mahmood, Rachel Reeves, John Healey, Ian Murray, Thangam Debbonaire, Alan Campbell, Baroness Smith of Basildon, Lord Kennedy of Southwark and Baroness Chapman of Darlington remain in their roles.

• Rosena Allin-Khan’s role renamed to shadow cabinet minister for mental health and Preet Kaur Gill’s role renamed to shadow cabinet minister for international development.

• Kate Green, Nia Griffith, Luke Pollard, Cat Smith and Lord Falconer of Thoroton have left the shadow cabinet.

Scottish Labour

• Monica Lennon has stood down as shadow cabinet secretary for net zero, energy and transport.

Devolved administrations

Scottish Parliament

• Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee – Elena Whitham added; Paul McLennan discharged.

Northern Ireland Executive

• Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside – Amit Bhagwat, Clare Dore, John Martin, Dr Stephen McCarron, Ian McKee, Dr Michael Meharg, Laura Neal, Noel Rice and Rosemary Thomas appointed as Members for three years from 1 December.

Local Authorities

• Cambridge City Council – Anna Smith (Lab) appointed as council leader.

• Mid and East Antrim Borough Council – Anne Donaghy suspended as chief executive.

Police and crime commissioners

• Zoë Metcalfe elected police, fire and crime commissioner for North Yorkshire on the second count of votes on 26 November.

Industry

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Interest Group

• Carers Trust – Kirsty McHugh appointed chief executive.

• Prostate Cancer UK – Laura Kerby appointed as chief executive, replacing Angela Culhane who is retiring this month.

Trade Associations

• Scotch Whisky Association – Mark Kent appointed as chief executive.