Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced the creation of new departments to better fit his vision for a global, forward-looking UK. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for International Trade have therefore been reformed to create the Departments for: Business and Trade; Science, Innovation and Technology; and Energy Security and Net Zero.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has also shed the ‘Digital’ responsibility, which has now been incorporated into the Department for Science, Technology and Innovation. The latter has long been advocated for by many in the top echelons of Government, including George Freeman, who becomes Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation having occupied a similar role at BEIS.
New Secretaries of State have duly been appointed. Kemi Badenoch, who led DIT, received a de facto promotion as she became Secretary of State for Business and Trade. Michelle Donelan, formerly of DCMS, became the first Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, while Grant Shapps moved from the top job at BEIS to become the inaugural Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.
Other ministerial appointments pertinent to BIVDA are as follows:
- Lord Johnson of Lainston CBE as a Minister of State in the Department for Business and Trade
- Lord Callanan as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
- Amanda Solloway MP as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, in addition to her current role as a Government Whip (Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury)
- Rt Hon Graham Stuart MP as a Minister of State in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
- Nigel Huddleston MP as a Minister of State in the Department for Business and Trade
- Nusrat Ghani MP as a Minister of State jointly in the Department for Business and Trade and the Cabinet Office
- Andrew Bowie MP as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
- Paul Scully MP as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
- Kevin Hollinrake MP as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Business and Trade
- Rt Hon Stuart Andrew MP as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Equalities) in the Department for Business and Trade
- Maria Caulfield MP as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Women) in the Department for Business and Trade, in addition to her current role as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department of Health and Social Care
Many will be understandably excited by the creation of a dedicated department for science, innovation and technology – a triumvirate which satisfies all of BIVDA member interests. Here is what the Prime Minister has stated the new department will focus on:
“Optimising public R&D investment to support areas of relative UK strength and increase the level of private R&D to make our economy the most innovative in the world; promoting a diverse research and innovation system that connects discovery to new companies, growth and jobs; supporting innovation across public services including the NHS and schools; strengthening international collaboration on science and technology in line with the Integrated Review; passing the remaining stages of the reformed Online Safety Bill to keep British people, especially children, safe online; and delivering key legislative and regulatory reforms to drive competition and promote innovation. It will take over the sponsorship of UKRI, which will remain our largest and most important funder of R&D”.
The Department of Business and Trade will continue ‘backing business’, as was the remit when housed at BEIS, however, now that it sits alongside trade, it is envisaged that this will marry support for British business with an ambition to export more British-made products globally through Free Trade Agreements and other accords with international partners.
BIVDA is proud of our record on sustainability, having created a dedicated Sustainability Hub and offering regular sustainability seminars for members, and we anticipate working closely with the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero as we continue to improve our processes and work alongside the NHS to help meet its Net Zero ambitions.
BIVDA looks forward to both continuing our existing relationships, and fostering new ones, across these new departments once portfolios are better defined.
