Nigel Adams appointed to new role at DCMS but future of charities brief unclear

26 Jul 2019 News

Nigel Adams, minister of state for digital and sport

Nigel Adams has been appointed as minister of state at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which is responsible for charity policy. 

It appears that he is taking on responsibility for sport from Mims Davies, but it is unclear if he is also taking her civil society brief. Adams is describing himself as minister of state for digital and sport.

Davies tweeted her congratulations, and changed her Twitter biography to say she was the former minister for sport, but has made no reference to the civil society part of her role and has not responded publicly when asked about it on Twitter. 

 

Davies has only been the minister for sport and civil society since last November, when she was appointed to the role after Tracey Crouch resigned. 

Adams has joined the department at a more senior level, minister of state, than Davies, who was a parliamentary under-secretary of state. The department has two other parliamentary under-secretaries; one responsible for heritage and tourism and one representative in the House of Lords. DCMS did not previously have someone at minister of state level, but this is now listed on DCMS website alongside the three existing under-secretary roles. 

Following the cabinet level appointments on Wednesday, various changes within departments emerged on social media, but Number Ten is yet to issue a statement confirming which ministers have been appointed to which departments. 

Usually once MPs have been designated to a department by the Prime Minister, it is for the head of that department to decide which portfolio they receive. Nicky Morgan is the new Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and therefore holds this responsibility.

More about Adams 

Adams became the MP for Selby and Ainsty in 2010. He was the parliamentary under-secretary of state for Wales until 1 April when he quit in protest at Theresa May’s Brexit talks with Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition. 

He backed Boris Johnson during the Conservative Party’s leadership campaign. 

According to his constituency website, he is an occasional cricketer and a “charity fundraiser”. It says he is “actively involved on the Yorkshire committee of The Lord’s Taverners and is a Patron of the Selby Hands of Hope charity.” 

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