Charities brief and Rob Wilson move to DCMS in reshuffle

18 Jul 2016 News

Rob Wilson

The civil society brief and Rob Wilson have moved from the Cabinet Office to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Wilson was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, in yesterday's reshuffle announcement. At the time it was unclear what was happening to the civil society brief.

This morning a spokesman for DCMS confirmed that the civil society brief "will move with him". 

Karen Bradley became the Secretary of State for Culture last week. She became an MP in 2010 and was previously minister for preventing abuse, exploitation and crime at the Home Office. She has mentioned charities 30 times in Parliamentary debates, mostly in her capacity as a minister.   

Former minister Ed Vaizey said moving the civil society brief was a positive thing, tweeting, “If @RobWilson_RDG taking charities andBbig Lottery to @DCMS this is a brilliant move and long overdue joining up of complementary policies.”

Both the Cabinet Office’s Parliamentary Secretaries - Wilson who had the civil society brief, and John Penrose, who was responsible for constitutional reform - have left the department. Wilson has gone to DCMS - along with former Cabinet Office Minister Matt Hancock, who has become Minister of State for Digital and Culture - and Penrose is without a role in government. 

Prime Minister Theresa May has appointed one Under Secretary of State to the Cabinet Office, Chris Skidmore. 

Skidmore has been the MP for Kingswood since 2010. Since May 2015 he had been Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne MP. He has sat on the Health Select Committee (2010-2013) and the Education Select Committee (2012-2014). In 2013, he was appointed to the No 10 Policy Board, and in September 2014 he was appointed Deputy Chairman of the No 10 Policy Board. 

There is a completely new team at the Cabinet Office. On Friday Ben Gummer was made the minister for the Cabinet Office and paymaster general and Patrick McLoughlin became the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster - the senior appointment.
Sunday’s announcements also saw Robert Halfon, who had been minister without portfolio, move to become Minister of State at the Department for Education.

Lord Bridges of Headly, who had been the Cabinet Office spokesman in the House of Lords, has moved to the Department for Exiting the European Union. Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen has become the Cabinet Office spokesman in the Lords.

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