Political Updates 14 January 2019

This week’s Political Updates covers moves and changes at all levels of government. 

  Government

Gareth Johnson, MP for Dartford, has resigned from his role as Minister in the Whips’ Office to be able to vote against the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal (more info).

Nicola Blackwood has been named as the new Minister for Innovation at the Department for Health and Social Care. She has also been awarded a peerage (more info).

Bill Dodwell has been appointed to replace Paul Morton as Tax Director at the Office of Tax Simplification, HM Treasury (more info).

Paula Sharp has been reappointed as a member of the Boundary Commission for Scotland (more info).

Rosie Benneyworth has been appointed as the new Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care at the Care Quality Commission, replacing Steve Field, at the beginning of March (more info).

Martin Shearman has been appointed as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium during for summer 2019 (more info).

Hugh Hesketh Evans has been reappointed as a board member of S4C at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (more info).

Stephen Sparks has been reappointed to the board of the Natural History Museum (more info).

Trevor Pearce has been reappointed to the board of the Gambling Commission (more info).

Carmel Booth and Nicola Thorp have had their terms as Trustees for the National Museums Liverpool extended by one year (more info).

Alastair Marsh has been appointed as Audit and Risk Trustee Royal Museums Greenwich (more info).

Simon Chesterman has been appointed to replace Mike Griffiths as Chief Constable of the Civil Nuclear Police Authority, in April (more info).

Wanda Goldwag has been appointed as interim Chair of the Leasehold Advisory Service at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Goldwag will lead LEASE, an executive body that provides impartial advice to people in leasehold properties and park homes (more info).

Gareth Davies has been selected as the Government’s preferred candidate to take over from Amyas Morse as the Comptroller and Auditor General (more info).

Valerie Gordon-Walker has been appointed as a Non-Executive Director of BPDTS Ltd at the Department for Work and Pensions (more info).

Mark Drakeford AM has been sworn of Her Majesty’s most Honourable Privy Council (more info).

Sian MacLeod OBE has been appointed as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Serbia (more info).

Kate Joseph has been appointed Director of Funding for the Education and Skills Funding Agency (more info).

Six new Honorary Queen’s Counsel (QC) Honoris Causa have been appointed (more info):

• Professor Mads Andenæs
• Professor Sue Arrowsmith
• Professor Richard Fentiman
• Jonathan Jones
• Professor Charles Mitchell
• Professor Thomas Glyn Watkin

Pippa Britton and Sarah Winckless have been appointed to the Board of UK Anti-Doping for second terms of three years, from March 2019 to March 2022 (more info).

Hilary Newiss and Simon Patterson have been appointed as Trustees of the Natural History Museum each for a term of four years, commencing on 5^th January 2019 (more info).

House of Lords

Lord Foster of Bishop Auckland (Labour, life peer) died on 6th January (more info).

Baroness Howells of St Davids (Labour, life peer) retired on 10th January (more info).

Nicola Blackwood is set to become a peer in due course (more info).

Lord Mogg (Crossbench) retired on 14^th January (more info).

Viscount Slim (Crossbench) died on 12^th January (more info).

Scottish Government

Sally Witcher has been appointed as the first Chair of the new Scottish Security Commission (more info).

National Assembly for Wales

Jenny Rathbone has been readmitted to the Welsh Assembly Labour Party (more info).

European Parliament

This week, MEPs are in Strasbourg for a plenary session.