Boris Johnson’s brutal cabinet reshuffle has created a new team of ministers involved with the technology sector, and the Prime Minister has also made some key digital appointments in his team of advisers. Here are the key figures in his new government tech team.
Nicky Morgan – DCMS Secretary of State
Nicky Morgan has replaced Jeremy Wright as secretary of state for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), taking overall responsibility for strategy, policy and management of Brexit for the department.
Her key tasks will include making Johnson’s pledge to bring “fantastic full-fibre broadband sprouting in every household” by 2025 a reality.
Matt Warman – Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Digital and Broadband
Matt Warman has been appointed to the new role of parliamentary under secretary of state for digital and broadband, taking responsibility for online harms and security digital infrastructure, the Building Digital UK programme to deliver superfast broadband, digital skills and digital and tech policy.
Warman was a Daily Telegraph journalist focused on technology from 1999 until 2015, reporting on tech giants and product launches, before he was elected MP for Boston and Skegness. He has since campaigned for better broadband speeds and criticised internet service providers making misleading claims about their connection speeds.
He takes over the digital responsibilities from Margot James, who resigned from her role after voting against the government in favour an amendment to block the next prime minister from suspending parliament and forcing through a no-deal Brexit.
Andrea Leadsom – Secretary of State for the Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
Former energy minister Andrea Leadsom returns to the Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) as Secretary of State, replacing Greg Clark in the role.
Her role brings together responsibilities for business, industrial strategy, science, innovation and energy. A key task will be overseeing the Industrial Strategy, which has a major focus on technology in general and on artificial intelligence, data, an ageing society, clean growth and the future of mobility specifically. She will also play a central role in tech sector policies such as the AI sector deal jointly led by her predecessor Clark.
Dominic Cummings – senior advisor to Boris Johnson
Controversial form Vote Leave campaign director Dominic Cummings is the new senior advisor to Boris Johnson.
Cummings is a divisive figure who has publicly criticised prominent Tories including David Cameron, Ian Duncan Smith and David Davis, and was ruled to be in contempt of Parliament after he failed to appear before a House of Commons committee investigating the spread of disinformation during the EU referendum campaign.
He is also a tech-savvy fan of startup culture who has accused the government of failing to effectively use data-driven decision-making. He has suggested Britain could create a new system of data protection regulation once it leaves the EU that would reduce the bureaucracy and legal complexities of GDPR and has also called for a focus on education in STEM subjects.
Credit: Tom Macaulay, Computerworld.