Latest civil service & public affairs moves – November 8-25

UK Government

• Department for Business and Trade – Claire Hughes appointed as a PPS
• Cabinet Office – Jonathan Powell appointed as national security adviser. Office for Equality and Opportunity – Baroness Falkner of Margravine’s appointment as chair extended until 30 November 2025; Dr Lesley Sawers’ appointment as deputy chair extended from 28 March 2025 until 30 November 2025; Keith Richards appointed as member for four years from 13 November.
• Department for Culture, Media and Sport – Matthew Patrick appointed as a PPS. Arts Council England – Andrew Lovett and Phil Stokes appointed as board members from 1 December until 30 November 2028. British Library – Venki Ramakrishnan re-appointed as board member for four years until 14 June 2028. National Archives – Lopa Patel and Nigel Baker appointed as board members for five years from 1 January 2025 until 31 December 2029. National Lottery Community Fund – Dame Julia Cleverdon appointed as chair for four years from 18 November.
• Ministry of Defence: Royal Hospital Chelsea – Guy Varney appointed as a specially appointed commissioner, Investments Expert, for three years until 30 September 2027
• Department for Education: Student Loans Company – Janette Campbell appointed as board member for three years
• Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Nuclear Restoration Services – Dave Wilson appointed as managing director of its Dounreay division. Nuclear Waste Services – Corhyn Parr to stand down as chief executive from March 2025.
• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – Josh Simons appointed as a PPS. UK Sea Fish Industry Authority – Sarah Holmyard and Georgina Wright appointed as members for three years from 11 November until 10 November 2027.
• Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – Lord Collins of Highbury appointed as the prime minister’s special representative on preventing sexual violence in conflict. James Downer appointed as His Majesty’s ambassador to the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria from January 2025, succeeding Sharon Wardle. Guy Harrison appointed as His Majesty’s ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania from January 2025, succeeding Colin Wells. Helen Winterton appointed as His Majesty’s consul-general to Jerusalem from December, succeeding Diane Corner.
• Department of Health and Social Care: DHSC Board – Alan Milburn appointed as lead non-executive member. Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency – Professor Anthony Harnden appointed as chair.
• Home Office: Independent Family Returns Panel – Simon Jones, Pauline Newell and Colleen Sterling appointed as members for three years.
• Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Homes England – Eamonn Boylan appointed as interim chief executive from 15 January 2025. Slough Borough Council – Will Tuckley appointed at managing director commissioner; Gavin Jones appointed as lead commissioner; Gerard Curran and Denise Murray appointed as commissioners.
• Ministry of Justice – Lucy Rigby MP appointed as a PPS. Civil Procedure Rule Committee – Campbell Forsyth appointed as legally qualified member from 6 December until 5 December 2027; Kelly Stricklin-Coutinho appointed as legally qualified member from 12 July 2025 until 11 July 2028. Judicial Pension Board – Josephine Maguire appointed as interim chair until 30 June 2025. Parole Board – His Honour Peter Rook KC re-appointed for one year from 1 February 2025 until 31 January 2026. Youth Justice Board – Karin Phillips appointed as member until 30 September 2025; Keith Fraser’s tenure as chair extended from 14 April 2025 until 31 December 2025.
• Department for Science, Innovation and Technology – Matthew Patrick MP appointed as a PPS. Intellectual Property Office – Timothy Render, Catherine Salway and Kirsty Whitehead appointed as non-executive directors for three years. Met Office – Simon Thompson appointed as chair of the board from 1 December.
• Department for Transport – Julie Minns appointed as a PPS
• Department for Work and Pensions – Gordon McKee appointed as a PPS.

Houses of Parliament

House of Commons

• Backbench Business Committee – Jess Brown-Fuller added.
• Finance Committee – Matt Bishop, Phil Brickell, Irene Campbell, Nusrat Ghani, Lillian Jones, Kate Osborne and Sean Woodcock added.
• Joint Committee on Human Rights – Alex Ballinger, Juliet Campbell, Afzal Khan and Alex Sobel added.
• Modernisation Committee – Jesse Norman added; Chris Philp discharged.
• Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy – Mike Martin and Edward Morello added.
• Committee of Selection – Mike Wood added; Rebecca Harris discharged.
• Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority – Marie Goldman, Leigh Ingham, Gordon McKee, Charlotte Nichols and Jesse Norman added.
• House of Commons Members’ Fund – Danny Chambers, Chris Elmore and Mark Tami appointed as Trustees; Holly Lynch, Charles Walker and Peter Grant discharged.

House of Lords

• Baroness Shafik’s leave of absence has ended
• Poppy Gustafsson raised to the peerage as Baroness Gustafsson on 15 November and introduced in the Lords on  18 November
• Special Public Bill Committee on the Property (Digital Assets etc) Bill [HL] – Lord Anderson of Ipswich appointed as chair; Lord Bassam of Brighton, Lord Clement-Jones, Lord Cryer, Lord Holmes of Richmond, Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede, Lord Sandhurst, Lord Shamash and Viscount Stansgate added
• The Bishop of Norwich appointed as Lord High Almoner by His Majesty The King.

Joint Committees

• Restoration and Renewal Programme Board – Judith Cummins appointed as chair; Marie Goldman and Lord Greenhalgh added; Wera Hobhouse and Lord Sherbourne of Didsbury discharged.

Delegations to Parliamentary Assemblies

• UK Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe – Lord Touhig appointed as leader; Dan Aldridge, Christopher Chope, Cat Eccles, Linsey Farnsworth, Lord German, Stephen Gethins, Lord Griffiths of Burry Port, Leigh Ingham, Alicia Kearns, Lord Keen of Elie, James MacCleary, Perran Moon, Jake Richards, John Slinger, Baroness Taylor of Bolton, Tony Vaughan and Michelle Welsh added.
• British Group Inter-Parliamentary Union – Fabian Hamilton appointed as chair; Alicia Kearns and Baroness Northover appointed as vice-chairs; Alex Sobel re-appointed as vice-chair;  Karen Bradley appointed as treasurer.

Parties

Conservatives

• Official opposition frontbench team finalised

Scottish Conservatives

• Alasdair Locke appointed as chair
• Lord Offord of Garvel appointed as treasurer.

Scottish Labour

• Kate Watson appointed as general secretary.

Welsh Conservatives

• Bernard Gentry appointed as chair.

Devolved Administrations

Welsh Parliament

• Children, Young People and Education Committee – Carolyn Thomas added; Hefin David discharged
• Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee – Mick Antoniw added; Carolyn Thomas discharged
• Committee for the Scrutiny of the First Minister – Carolyn Thomas added; Jack Sargeant discharged
• Melissa McCullough appointed as acting standards commissioner from 21 November.

Welsh Government

• Innovating Democracy Advisory Group – Dr Anwen Elias appointed as chair.

Northern Ireland Assembly

• Executive Office Committee – Connie Egan resigned as deputy chair; Stewart Dickson appointed as deputy chair
• Justice Committee – Connie Egan added; Stewart Dickson discharged
• Standards and Privileges Committee – Stewart Dickson resigned as deputy chair, added as member; Connie Egan appointed as deputy chair.

Northern Ireland Executive

• Department for the Economy – Mark Lowry appointed as non-executive board member to the departmental board for three years from 25 November
• Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service – Alistair Cathcart appointed as non-executive (district councillor) member from 20 November until 19 November 2028.

Local Authorities

• Basildon Borough Council – Gary Jones appointed as chief executive.
• Dacorum Borough Council – Claire Hamilton to stand down as chief executive in the new year.
• Gateshead Council – Dales Owens appointed as chief executive.
• Inverclyde Council – Stephan McCabe stood down as council leader.
• Islington Council – Kaya Comer-Schwatz to stand down as council leader following her appointment as deputy mayor for policing and crime in the London Assembly.
• Knowsley Council – James Duncan appointed as chief executive.
• City of Lincoln Council – Naomi Tweddle appointed as council leader.
• Middlesbrough Council – Erik Scollay appointed as chief executive from December.
• Newcastle City Council – Karen Kilgour appointed as council leader.
• Redbridge Council – Claire Hamilton appointed as chief executive from the new year.
• Wrexham Council – Ian Bancroft to stand down as chief executive at the end of December.

Combined Authorities

• Mayor of London’s team – Kaya Comer-Schwatz appointed as deputy mayor for policing and crime.

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