New UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has retained Lisa Nandy as Culture Secretary, a post she’s held since Labour’s victory at the 2024 General Election.
Burnham, himself a former culture minister, became PM on Monday after which he embarked on a wide-ranging reshuffle that saw a dozen cabinet members leave government and others move to new posts.
With more than 2 years in post, Nandy is one of the longest serving holders of the job which has changed hands a dozen times over the past 10 years.
She is midway through the BBC Royal Charter review which will determine the broadcaster’s funding, responsibilities and structure for the coming decade.
In recent week’s she’s floated a number of possible options including extending the £180 annual Licence Fee to cover the viewing of streaming services such as Netflix and Apple TV.
However any hopes the BBC might have of a significant increase to its funding could hit up against Burnham’s pledge to reduce the cost of living for households across the country.
At Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting he urged all departments to look at ways they could ease both “big and small” financial pressures households are facing, adding that: “We need to be a cost-of-living government, getting that cost of living down, looking at all possible ways of doing that.”
The minister must also take a final decision on whether to intervene in Paramount’s intended takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, something she indicated late last month that she was minded to do on media plurality grounds.
List of UK Culture Secretaries Since 2016
- Karen Bradley: July 2016 – January 2018
- Matt Hancock: January 2018 – July 2018
- Jeremy Wright: July 2018 – July 2019
- Nicky Morgan: July 2019 – February 2020
- Oliver Dowden: February 2020 – September 2021
- Nadine Dorries: September 2021 – September 2022
- Michelle Donelan: September 2022 – February 2023
- Lucy Frazer: February 2023 – July 2024
- Lisa Nandy: July 2024 – Present