UK Government
- Cabinet Office – Sir Chris Wormald appointed as cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, succeeding Simon Case who will stand down on 16 December Ellie Reeves , minister of State (minister without portfolio), will also attend Cabinet. Security Vetting Appeals Panel – Mary Calam, Delroy Henry, Matthew Parr, Tracey Tuffuor Oppong and Suzy Walton appointed as lay members.
- Department of Health and Social Care: Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration – Dr Raj Patel re-appointed as member for three years from 1 August 2025
- Ministry of Justice – Sarah Sackman appointed as minister of state, replacing Heidi Alexander on 2 December. Lay Observers’ National Council – David Whalley appointed as chair until 24 November 2027.
- Law Officers – Lucy Rigby appointed as Solicitor General, replacing Sarah Sackman on 2 December. She was preciously a PPS in the Ministry of Justice. Kevin Bonavia appointed as parliamentary private secretary to the Attorney General’s Office on 5 December.
- Privy Council Office – Heidi Alexander appointed as a privy counsellor on 4 December
- Department for Transport – Heidi Alexander appointed as secretary of state for transport on 29 November
- Department for Work and Pensions: National Employment Savings Trust – Michael Gordon, Catherine Howarth, Faith Reynolds, Howard Walpole and Stuart White appointed as members of the Board
- Non-ministerial Departments: Ofsted – Dame Christine Ryan to stand down as chair of the Board in 2025.
Houses of Parliament
House of Commons
- Finance Committee – Stephen Barclay appointed as chair
- Joint Committee on Human Rights – Lord Alton of Liverpool appointed as chair; Tom Gordon added
- Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy – Liam Byrne, Sarah Champion, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Bill Esterson, Andy Slaughter, Emily Thornberry, Derek Twigg and Matt Western added
- Liaison Committee – the following have been added:
Debbie Abrahams (chair, Work and Pensions Committee)
Tonia Antoniazzi (chair, Northern Ireland Affairs Committee)
Stephen Barclay (chair, Finance Committee)
Bob Blackman (chair, Backbench Business Committee)
Karen Bradley (chair, Home Affairs Committee)
Liam Byrne (chair, Business and Trade Committee)
Ruth Cadbury (chair, Transport Committee)
Alistair Carmichael (chair, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee)
Sarah Champion (chair, International Development Committee)
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (chair, Public Accounts Committee)
Alberto Costa (chair, Privileges and Standards Committees)
Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (chair, Defence Committee)
Caroline Dinenage (chair, Culture, Media and Sport Committee)
Florence Eshalomi (chair, Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee)
Bill Esterson (chair, Energy Security and Net Zero Committee)
Patricia Ferguson (chair, Scottish Affairs Committee)
Helen Hayes (chair, Education Committee)
Meg Hillier (chair, Treasury Committee)
Simon Hoare (chair, Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee)
Bernard Jenkin (chair, Statutory Instruments Committee)
Ruth Jones (chair, Welsh Affairs Committee)
Layla Moran (chair, Health and Social Care Committee)
Jessica Morden (chair, Selection Committee)
Chi Onwurah (chair, Science, Innovation and Technology Committee)
Sarah Owen (chair, Women and Equalities Committee)
Toby Perkins (chair, Environmental Audit Committee)
Andy Slaughter (chair, Justice Committee)
Cat Smith (chair, Procedure Committee)
Nick Smith (chair, Administration Committee)
Jamie Stone (chair, Petitions Committee)
Emily Thornberry (chair, Foreign Affairs Committee)
- House of Commons Commission – Steve Barclay added; Sharon Hodgson discharged; Catherine Ward’s term as external member extended until 31 December 2025.
- Restoration and Renewal Client Board – Steve Barclay added; Sharon Hodgson discharged.
Parties
Welsh Conservatives
- Andrew Davies resigned as leader on 3 December
- Darren Miller elected as leader on 5 December.
Devolved administrations
Scottish Government
- Sara Snell appointed as HM chief inspector of prisons for Scotland from early February 2025
- Dr Peter Mackay appointed as Scotland’s next makar (national poet) for three years
- Children’s Hearings Scotland Board – Barbara Neil re-appointed as member for two years from 1 February 2025 until 31 January 2027
- Scottish Qualifications Authority – Ronnie Erskine, Simon Hewitt, John Morton, Caroline McFarlane and Michelle Wailes appointed as members of the Board for four years until 27 October 2028.
Northern Ireland Assembly
- Justice Committee – Jemma Dolan added; Sinéad Ennis discharged
- Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee – Peter Martin added; Joanne Bunting discharged
Northern Ireland Executive
- Agri-food and Biosciences Institute Board – Daphne Johnston, Alan Moore, Tim McClelland, Tom Tynan and Tom Wright re-appointed as members for six months until 31 May 2025
- Southern Health and Social Care Trust – Eileen Mullan re-appointed as non-executive chair until 30 November 2028.
Local Authorities
- Bridgend County Borough Council – Mark Shephard to retire as chief executive in 2025
- Dorset Council – Matt Prosser to stand down as chief executive in spring 2025 for a new role as chief executive of Wellington City Council in New Zealand
- North East Lincolnshire Council – Rob Walsh to stand down as chief executive from May 2025
- Inverclyde Council – Robert Moran appointed as council leader
- Islington Council – Una O’Halloran appointed as council leader
- Nottinghamshire County Council – Sam Smith appointed as council leader.
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