Political Updates 15 June 2020

Stay on top of latest political appointments – covering recent changes and moves at a national level in UK politics.

UK Government

Caroline Wilson CMG has been appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China in succession to Dame Barbara Woodward DCMG OBE.

Alan Gemmell OBE has been appointed British Deputy High Commissioner for Western India. He will also serve as Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for South Asia.

Siobhan Peters has been appointed as Chief Finance Officer of UK Research and Innovation.

Sir George Norton has been appointed as Commandant Royal College of Defence Studies. He will take up this role from 21 July.

Sue Wilkinson OBE has been re-appointed as Trustee of the Historic Royal Palaces.

Caroline Cole, Nico Lacuzzi and Surojit Ghosh have been re-appointed as Trustees of the Horniman Museum.

Heather Blyth, Paul Eccleson, Rita Mclean and Tony Wilson have been appointed as Trustees of the National Museums Liverpool for three years. Isabel Chadwick has been appointed as Finance Trustee for four years.

Dr Hilary Allison, Professor Julian Evans and Sandy Storrie have been appointed as Non-Executive Commissioners Forestry Commission for three years.

Rena Lalgie has been appointed as Governor of Bermuda. She will take up the role in December 2020.

John Virgoe has been appointed as High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam. He will take up this role in August 2020.

David Belgrove OBE has been appointed as High Commissioner to The Gambia. He will take up this role in July.

Neil Bradley has been appointed as Ambassador to Liberia. He will take up this role in July.

Karen Maddocks has been appointed as Ambassador to Montenegro. She will take up this role in August.

Professor Kevin Davies has been appointed as Medical Director Advisory Committee on Clinical Excellence Awards for three years. He will take up this role from 1 July.

David Marshall has been appointed as a solicitor member of the Civil Procedure Rule Committee.

House of Commons

Mary Glindon has been discharged from the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee and Barry Gardiner has been added.

Gareth Thomas has been discharged from the International Trade Committee and Taiwo Owatemi has been added.

Kerry McCarthy has been discharged from the Environmental Audit Committee and Barry Gardiner has been added.

Karin Smyth has been discharged from the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee and Mary Foy has been added.

Kerry McCarthy has been discharged from the Petitions Committee and Tonia Antoniazzi has been added.

House of Lords

Lord Malloch-Brown (Crossbench) took a leave of absence from 9 June.

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley has left the Labour group and now sits as non-affiliated.

Baroness Lane-Fox of Soho has been named as Chair of the new COVID-19 Committee. Lord Alderdice, Baroness Benjamin, Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen, Lord Duncan of Springbank, Lord Elder, Lord Hain, Lord Harris of Haringey, Baroness Jay of Paddington, Baroness Morgan of Cotes, Lord Pickles, Baroness Young of Hornsey have been appointed as members.