Original article ISPreview UK:Read More
The UK government currently seems to be going through an extended cabinet reshuffle, which yesterday saw the Secretary of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), Peter Kyle MP, being moved to the role of Secretary of State for Business and replaced by Liz Kendall MP. But the UK Telecoms Minister, Chris Bryant MP, has also gone and is currently without a replacement.
Bryant’s former role as Minister of State for Data Protection and Telecoms is an important one because he was responsible for overseeing UK digital infrastructure and telecoms (broadband and mobile etc.), the Building Digital UK (BDUK) agency, data protection (including Data Bill), the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), digital inclusion and even space sector growth / UK Space Agency (UKSA).
We’re currently keeping an eye on the Ministerial Appointments page for this reshuffle to see who, if anybody, will get the telecoms minister role. But in the past it has sometimes taken a few days or even weeks before permanent replacements are found. The role may potentially also be changed or merged into something else. The government has informed ISPreview that they should be able to provide an update in the coming days.
In the meantime, we note that Liz Kendall MP tends to have more historic experience in healthcare, pensions/social welfare and politics in general than telecoms, science or technology. We of course don’t expect government MPs to all have an inherent understanding of their new brief, but sometimes it does help, especially when it comes to the complex fields of telecoms and science.