Latest civil service & public affairs moves – February 3

UK Government

• Department for Culture, Media and Sport: National Gallery – Patricia Rubin appointed as trustee for four years until 28 November 2028.
• Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Ofgem – Jonathan Brearley re-appointed as chief executive from 1 February until 31 January 2030; Myriam Madden’s term as non-executive director extended until 31 March 2025; Barry Panayi’s term as non-executive director extended until 16 March 2027.
• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Science Advisory Council – Professor Rowland Kao appointed as chair for three years until 7 January 2028.
• Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – Edward Roberts appointed as His Majesty’s ambassador to the Republic of Costa Rica and His Majesty’s non-resident ambassador to the Republic of Nicaragua from the autumn, succeeding Ben Lyster-Binns who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment.
• HM Treasury: Prudential Regulation Committee – David Soanes and Niamh Moloney appointed as external members for three years.

Houses of Parliament

House of Commons

• Procedure Committee – David Baines added; Frank McNally discharged.
• Work and Pensions Committee – Ben Obese-Jecty added.
• Public Accounts Commission – Clive Efford appointed as chair.

UK’s Trade envoys appointed:

• Kate Osamor (Lab/Co-op) – Trade envoy to East Africa
• Sarah Olney (Lib Dem) – Trade envoy to North Africa
• Calvin Bailey (Lab) – Trade envoy to Southern Africa
• Lord Liddle (Lab) – Trade envoy to Andean
• Lord Spellar (Lab) – Trade envoy to Australia
• Lord Alderdice (Lib Dem) – Trade envoy to Azerbaijan and Central Asia
• Baroness Winterton of Doncaster (Lab) – Trade envoy to Bangladesh
• Josh MacAlister (Lab) – Trade envoy to Brazil
• Jessica Morden (Lab) – Trade envoy to Central America
• Paulette Hamilton (Lab) – Trade envoy to Commonwealth Caribbean
• Yasmin Qureshi (Lab) – Trade envoy to Egypt
• Baroness Ramsey of Wall Heath (Lab) – Trade envoy to Ethiopia
• Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Lab) – Trade envoy to Ghana
• Naz Shah (Lab) – Trade envoy to Indonesia and ASEAN
• Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated) – Trade envoy to Israel
• Sharon Hodgson (Lab) – Trade envoy to Japan
• Lord McNicol of West Kilbride (Lab) – Trade envoy to Jordan, Kuwait and Palestine Territories
• Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Lab) – Trade envoy to the Republic of Korea
• George Freeman (Con) – Trade envoy to Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Brunei
• Dan Carden (Lab) – Trade envoy to Mexico
• Ben Coleman (Lab) – Trade envoy to Morocco and Francophone West Africa
• Carolyn Harris (Lab) – Trade envoy to New Zealand
• Florence Eshalomi (Lab/Co-op) – Trade envoy to Nigeria
• Mohammad Yasin (Lab) – Trade envoy to Pakistan
• Rosena Allin-Khan (Lab) – Trade envoy to South Africa
• Fabian Hamilton (Lab) – Trade envoy to Southern Cone
• Lord Hannett of Everton (Lab) – Trade envoy to Sri Lanka
• David Pinto-Duschinsky (Lab) – Trade envoy to Switzerland and Lichtenstein
• Lord Faulkner of Worcester (Lab) – Trade envoy to Taiwan
• Matt Western (Lab) – Trade envoy to Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos
• Afzal Khan (Lab) – Trade envoy to Türkiye
• Alex Sobel (Lab/Co-op) – Trade envoy to Ukraine

House of Lords

• Kevin Brennan (Lab) raised to the peerage as Lord Brennan of Canton on 24 January and will be introduced in the Lords on 4 February.
• Simon Pitkeathley (Lab) raised to the peerage as Lord Pitkeathley of Camden Town on 24 January and will be introduced in the Lords on 6 February.
• Mary Bousted (Lab) raised to the peerage as Baroness Bousted on 27 January and will be introduced in the Lords on 6 February.
• Julie Elliott (Lab) raised to the peerage as Baroness Elliott of Whitburn Bay on 27 January and will be introduced in the Lords on 10 February.
• Mike Katz (Lab) raised to the peerage as Lord Katz on 28 January and will be introduced in the Lords on 10 February.
• Joanne Cash (Con) raised to the peerage as Baroness Cash on 28 January and will be introduced in the Lords on 11 February.
• Krish Raval (Lab) raised to the peerage as Lord Raval on 29 January and will be introduced in the Lords on 4 February.
• Mark Pack (Lib Dem) raised to the peerage as Lord Pack on 29 January and will be introduced in the Lords on 13 February.
• Kay Carberry (Lab) raised to the peerage as Baroness Carberry of Muswell Hill on 30 January and will be introduced in the Lords on 3 February.
• Dinah Caine (Lab) raised to the peerage as Baroness Caine of Kentish Town on 30 January and will be introduced in the Lords on 24 February.
• Baroness Wilcox of Newport appointed as deputy chairmen of committees.

Committee updates:

• Built Environment – Lord Gascoigne appointed as chair; Lord Cameron of Dillington, Lord Gascoigne, Lord Porter of Spalding and Viscount Younger of Leckie added; Baroness Eaton, Lord Greenhalgh, Lord Mair and Lord Moylan discharged.
• House of Lords Commission – Baroness Pitkeathley added; Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall discharged.
• Communications and Digital – Baroness Keeley appointed as chair; Viscount Colville of Culross, Baroness Fleet, Lord Holmes of Richmond, Baroness Keeley, Lord Mitchell and Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge added; Lord Hall of Birkenhead, Baroness Harding of Winscombe, Lord Kamall, Baroness Primarolo, Baroness Stowell of Beeston and Lord Young of Norwood Green discharged.
• Conduct – Lord Etherton appointed as chair from 20 March, succeeding Baroness Manningham-Buller; Earl of Devon, Baroness Grender and Baroness Stowell of Beeston added; Lord Garnier, Baroness Kidron and Lord Scriven.
• Constitution – Lord Strathclyde appointed as chair; Lord Bellamy, Lord Griffiths of Burry Port, Baroness Hamwee, Baroness Laing of Elderslie, Lord Murphy of Torfaen and Lord Waldegrave of North Hill added; Baroness Drake, Lord Falconer of Thoroton, Baroness Finn, Baroness Goldie, Lord Keen of Elie and Lord Thomas of Gresford discharged.
• Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform – Baroness Ramsey of Wall Heath appointed as Chair; Viscount Goschen, Lord Hall of Birkenhead, Baroness Ramsey of Wall Heath and Lord Rowlands added; Lord Carlile of Berriew, Lord Cunningham of Felling, Lord McLoughlin and Lord Rooker.
• Economic Affairs – Lord Wood of Anfield appointed as chair; Lord Agnew of Oulton, Lord Liddle, Lord Petitgas and Lord Wood of Anfield added; Lord Bridges of Headley, Lord Griffiths of Fforestfach, Lord Layard and Lord Rooker discharged.
• Environment and Climate Change – Lord Ashcombe, Lord Krebs, Lord Layard, Lord Lennie, Lord Mancroft and Lord Rooker added; Baroness Bakewell, Baroness Bray of Coln, Lord Frost, Lord Giddens, Lord Grantchester and Lord Ravensdale discharged.
• European Affairs – Lord Frost, Baroness Suttie, Lord Whitty and Baroness Winterton of Doncaster added; Lord Adonis, Baroness Blackstone, Baroness Lawlor and Baroness Scott of Needham Market discharged.
• Finance – Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall added.
• Industry and Regulators – Baroness Drake, Baroness Harding of Winscombe, Lord Teverson, Lord Udny-Lister and Baroness Valentine added; Lord Agnew of Oulton, Lord Altrincham, Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top, Lord Clement-Jones and Lord Cromwell discharged.
• International Agreements – Baroness Lawlor, Lord McDonald of Salford, Lord Stevenson of Balmacara and Baroness Verma added; Lord Etherton, Lord Grimstone of Boscobel, Baroness Kingsmill and Lord Udny-Lister discharged.
• International Relations and Defence – Baroness Blackstone and Lord Darroch of Kew added; Lord Robertson of Port Ellen and Lord Wood of Anfield discharged.
• Justice and Home Affairs – Baroness Bertin added; Lord McInnes of Kilwinning and Lord Sandhurst discharged.
• Liaison – Baroness Fookes, Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon and Lord Smith of Hindhead added; Lord Bach, Lord Blencathra and Lord Taylor of Holbeach discharged.
• Joint Committee on National Security Strategy – Lord Boateng, Lord Hutton of Furness, Baroness Kidron, Lord Sedwill and Lord Watts added; Lord Butler of Brockwell, Baroness Crawley, Lord Dannatt, Lord Snape and Viscount Stansgate discharged.
• NEW Northern Ireland Scrutiny – Lord Carlile of Berriew appointed as chair; Lord Dodds of Duncairn, Lord Empey, Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee, Baroness Goudie, Lord Hain, Lord Lexden, Lord McInnes of Kilwinning, Baroness O'Loan, Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick, Lord Thomas of Gresford and Lord Willis of Knaresborough added.
• Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology – Lord Mair appointed as board member; Baroness Brown of Cambridge discharged.
• Parliamentary Works Estimates Commission – Lord Gardiner of Kimble and Lord Macpherson of Earl’s Court added.
• Procedure and Privileges – Lord Goddard of Stockport, Viscount Goschen, Lord Jones, Lord Mancroft and Baroness Morgan of Drefelin added; Baroness Humphreys, Baroness Pitkeathley, Baroness Sanderson of Welton, Lord Sherbourne of Didsbury and Baroness Taylor of Bolton discharged; Lord Bradley appointed an alternate member; Lord Collins of Highbury and Lord Goddard of Stockport discharged.
• Public Services – Lord Bradley, Baroness Cass, Baroness Coffey, Baroness Pidgeon and Baroness Wyld added; Lord Bach, Baroness Campbell of Surbiton, Lord Porter of Spalding, Baroness Stedman-Scott and Lord Willis of Knaresborough discharged.
• Science and Technology – Lord Mair appointed as chair; Lord Mair, Lord Ranger of Northwood, Lord Stern of Brentford and Baroness Walmsley added; Baroness Brown of Cambridge, Lord Rees of Ludlow, Lord Strasburger and Lord Wei discharged.
• Secondary Legislation Scrutiny – Lord Watson of Invergowrie appointed as chair; Lord Bethell, Lord Kempsell, Lord Kerr of Kinlochard and Lord Watson of Invergowrie added; Lord De Mauley, Lord Hunt of Wirral, Lord Powell of Bayswater and Lord Rowlands discharged.
• Selection – Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon added; Lord Jones discharged.
• Services – Lord McLoughlin appointed as chair; Lord McLoughlin and Baroness Wilcox of Newport added; Lord Howard of Rising and Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall discharged.
• Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments – Lord Brady of Altrincham and Lord Kakkar added; Lord Beith, Lord Chartres and Lord Haselhurst discharged.
• NEW Autism Act 2009 – Lord Scriven appointed as chair; Lord Addington, Baroness Browning, Lord Crisp, Lord Elliott of Mickle Fell, Baroness Goudie, Baroness Hodgson of Abinger, Lord Hope of Craighead, Lord Pitkeathley, Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick, Baroness Rock, Lord Scriven and Lord Wigley added.
• NEW Home-based Working – Baroness Scott of Needham Market appointed as chair; Lord Farmer, Baroness Featherstone, Lord Fink, Baroness Freeman of Steventon, Lord Fuller, Baroness Manzoor, Lord Monks, Baroness Nye, Lord Parker of Minsmere, Baroness Scott of Needham Market, Lord Stevenson of Balmacara and Baroness Watkins of Tavistock added.
• NEW Social Mobility Policy – Baroness Manningham-Buller appointed as chair; Baroness Blower, Lord Evans of Rainow, Baroness Garden of Frognal, Lord Hampton, Lord Harlech, Baroness Hussein-Ece, Lord Johnson of Marylebone, Bishop of Lincoln, Baroness Manningham-Buller, Baroness Ramsey of Wall Heath, Lord Ravensdale, Baroness Shephard of Northwold and Lord Watts added.
• NEW UK Engagement with Space – Baroness Ashton of Upholland appointed as chair; Baroness Ashton of Upholland, Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury, Lord Booth-Smith, Lord Clement-Jones, Lord Cromwell, Baroness Donaghy, Baroness Mobarik, Lord Shamash, Viscount Stansgate, Baroness Stowell of Beeston, Lord Tarassenko and Lord Vaizey of Didcot added.

Devolved Administrations

Scottish Parliament

• Joe Fitzpatrick to stand down as an MSP at the next elections.

Northern Ireland Executive

• Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment – Deborah O’Hare appointed as chair from 1 February.

Local Authorities

• Luton Council – Robin Porter to stand down as chief executive from April.
• Bolsover District Council – Jane Yates (Labour) appointed as council leader.
• Southampton City Council – Jillian Kay appointed as chief executive.
• Essex County Council – Nicole Wood appointed as chief executive.
• Caerphilly County Borough Council – Ed Edmunds appointed as chief executive.