Latest civil service & public affairs moves – February 10

UK government

• Cabinet Office: Government Commercial Function –  Andrew Forzani appointed as government chief commercial officer. UK Statistics Authority – Peter Barron, Professor Mairi Spowage and Dr Sarah Walsh appointed as non-executive directors.
• Department for Education: DfE Board – Margaret Casely-Hayford, Steve Crocker, Naomi Eisenstadt and Rebecca George appointed as non-executive board members for three years from 1 March. Ofqual – Sir Ian Bauckham appointed as permanent chief regulator. He had been interim chief regulator since 1 January 2024.  
• Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – Angus Lapsley appointed as UK permanent representative to Nato from April, succeeding Sir David Quarrey.
• Department of Health and Social Care – Tom Kibasi appointed to support drafting the government’s 10 Year Health Plan. DHSC Departmental Board – Baroness Cavendish of Little Venice, Naomi Eisenstadt and Phil Jordan appointed as non-executive members for three years. Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency – Anthony Harden appointed as chair. NHS Counter Fraud Authority – Jon Hayes appointed as non-executive director for three years from 1 February.
• Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Boundary Commission for England – Colin Byrne and Sarah Hamilton re-appointed as members from 1 February until 31 March 2032.
• Ministry of Justice: His Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate – Anthony Rogers appointed as His Majesty’s chief inspector. Civil Procedure Rule Committee – Ben Roe re-appointed as legal member for three years from 9 June; Ian Curtis-Nye re-appointed as lay member for three years from 24 October. Office of the Public Guardian – Alison Sansome appointed as non-executive board chair.
• Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Council for Science and Technology – Mark Enzer, Professor Dame Lynn Gladden, Priya Lakhani, Avid Larizadeh Duggan, Professor (Emeritus) Nick McKeown, Professor Sir Nigel Richard Shadbolt, Richard Slater and Paul Taylor appointed as members.
• HM Treasury: Royal Mint – Chris Walton appointed as non-executive chair for three years.

Houses of Parliament

House of Commons

• Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Imran Hussain and Rebecca Long Bailey have had the Labour whip restored. John McDonnell, Apsana Begum and Zarah Sultana continue to have the Labour whip suspended.
• Parliamentary Works Estimates Commission – Nusrat Ghani and Nick Smith added.

House of Lords

• Lord Mandelson (Lab) granted a leave of absence on 31 January.
• Anne Longfield (Lab) raised to the peerage as Baroness Longfield and Wendy Nichols (Lab) raised to the peerage as Baroness Nichols of Selby on 31 January and will be introduced in the Lords on 25 February.
• Wendy Alexander (Lab) raised to the peerage as Baroness Alexander of Cleveden on 3 February and will be introduced in the Lords on 13 February.
• Deborah Mattinson (Lab) raised to the peerage as Baroness Mattinson on 3 February and will be introduced in the Lords on 27 February.
• Sue Gray (Lab) raised to the peerage as Baroness Gray of Tottenham on 4 February and will be introduced in the Lords on 11 February.
• Marvin Rees (Lab) raised to the peerage as Lord Rees of Easton on 4 February and will be introduced in the Lords on 24 February.
• Rachel Maclean (Con) raised to the peerage as Baroness Maclean of Redditch on 5 February and will be introduced in the Lords on 3 March.
• Anji Hunter(Lab) raised to the peerage as Baroness Hunter of Auchenreoch on 5 February and will be introduced in the Lords on 4 March.
• Roger Evans (Con) raised to the peerage as Lord Evans of Guisborough on 6 February and will be introduced in the Lords on 27 February.
• Luciana Berger (Lab) raised to the peerage as Baroness Berger on 6 February and will be introduced in the Lords on 4 March.
• Sarah Clarke to stand down as Lady Usher of the Black Rod in the summer, after seven-and-a-half years in post.

Devolved administrations

Scottish Government

• Lord Beckett appointed as lord justice clerk, succeeding Lady Dorrian from 3 February.

Welsh Government

• Ayrshire and Arran NHS Board – Sheila Cowan appointed as member for four years from 1 April until 31 March 2029.
• Borders NHS Board – James Ayling re-appointed as member for four years from 5 April until 4 April 2029.
• Crofting Commission – Andrew Thin appointed as chair for two years from 3 February until 18 March 2027.
• Grampian NHS Board – Derick Murray re-appointed as member for four years from 15 April until 14 April 2029.
• Scottish Legal Complaints Commission Board – Thane Lawrie appointed as non-lawyer member for five years from 1 February until 31 January 2030.
• Social Partnership Council – Siân Boyles and Russell Greenslade appointed as members from 1 February.

Northern Ireland Assembly

• Conor Murphy resigned as MLA for Newry and Armagh and minister for the economy on 3 February.
• Caoimhe Archibald resigned as minister of finance on 3 February; appointed as minister for the economy.
• John O’Dowd resigned as minister for infrastructure on 3 February; appointed as minister for finance.
• Liz Kimmins appointed as minister for infrastructure on 3 February.
• Assembly and Executive Review Committee – Declan McAleer resigned as deputy chair; Pat Sheehan appointed as deputy chair.
• Communities Committee – Ciara Ferguson resigned as deputy chair; Nicola Brogan appointed as deputy chair.
• Health Committee – Liz Kimmins resigned as chair; Philip McGuigan appointed as chair.
• Committee on Procedures – Sinéad Ennis resigned as deputy chair; Órlaithí Flynn appointed as deputy chair.
• Committee on Standards and Privileges – Carál Ní Chuilín resigned as chair; Cathy Mason appointed as chair.
• Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee – Philip McGuigan resigned as chair; Ciara Ferguson appointed as chair.

Northern Ireland Executive

• Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment – Professor John Anderson, Sarah-Lucy Hynds, Ivor Johnston, Donna O’Connor and Dr Jennifer Roberts appointed as members from 1 February.
• Education Authority – Lord Weir of Ballyholme appointed as chair.

Local authorities

• Camden Council – Jenny Rowlands to stand down as chief executive in the summer.
• East Lothian Council – Laurence Rockey appointed as chief executive.
• Hounslow Council – Niall Bolger has stepped down as chief executive.
• Wirral Council – Paul Stuart to stand down as council leader in May.

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