Today (Tuesday 7th February), Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a Machinery of Government Change including the creation of a new government department focused on energy security. As a result, the King has approved the creation of four new government departments:
- Department for Energy Security and Net Zero,
- Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
- Department for Business and Trade
- Department for Culture, Media and Sport
You can read more about the new departments and their remit here.
There has also been a reshuffle of ministers. We have included a list of ministerial changes to Cabinet below:
- Lucy Frazer – Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport
- Michelle Donelan – Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
- Grant Shapps – Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
- Kemi Badenoch – Secretary of State for Business and Trade
- Greg Hands – new Tory Party chairman
A full list of appointments, including junior ministerial appointments, has been added to Gov.uk.
The new Culture Secretary, Lucy Frazer, was previously Minister of State in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities from 26 October 2022. Before this, she was Minister of State at the Department for Transport. We will be writing to the new Minister to introduce The Heritage Alliance and our priorities.
What is a Machinery of Government Change?
A machinery of government (MoG) change is a transfer of functions between ministers, either:
- between ministers in charge of departments or other Cabinet Ministers, or
- between a minister and a non-departmental public body (NDPB)
All MoG changes will be different, ranging from the creation of new departments through to small changes to a number of teams. You can read more about the MoG, and how Government will plan and deliver the change on Gov.uk.