Karen Bradley appointed new Culture Secretary

Karen Bradley has been appointed as the new Culture Secretary in Prime Minister Theresa May's government after John Whittingdale was sacked yesterday (14th July).

Bradley, a trained chartered accountant, has been the Conservative MP for Staffordshire Moorlands since May 2010 and has served under May in the Home Office as parliamentary under secretary of state for the last two years.

Commenting on Bradley’s appointment, Stephen Lotinga, c.e.o of the Publishers Association (PA), said he would look to seek an early meeting with Bradley to discuss "everything from intellectual property to boosting exports" for the publishing industry.

“We’re delighted by the appointment of Karen Bradley as the new DCMS Secretary at such an important time for the creative industries," Lotinga said. "The Secretary of State will have a lot of competing priorities in her new department but ensuring the continuing success of the creative industries will need to be at the top of the list. The PA will be seeking a meeting with the Culture Secretary at the earliest opportunity to talk to her about the strength of UK publishing and the importance of supporting our industry on everything from intellectual property to boosting exports.”

Bradley has previously gone on record to say her favourite book genre is crime thrillers. Speaking to the Stoke Sentinel in June last year, Bradley said: “I don’t get as much time as I would like to enjoy reading nowadays, but when I do get the chance I usually turn to a crime thriller. I have read every Morse, Dalziel and Pascoe, Frost and Rebus that's been printed and have mourned the passing of far too many characters over the years – many of whom came to very sticky ends.”

Bradley added that if she was sent to a desert island with just one book, she would struggle to choose between Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol which she used to read “every year” growing up, and Katherine by Anya Seaton, which Bradley described as “a wonderful historic novel about Katherine Swynford, who was the mistress and finally third wife of John of Gaunt and the matriarch eventually of the Tudors”.

After hearing he was not to retain his position yesterday, Whittingdale

: “Has been a privilege to serve as Culture Secretary. I wish my successor every success & will continue to support creative industries.”

Whittingdale was appointed secretary for the department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) after the Conservatives won the general election in May last year.

May has named a new cabinet after officially being appointed the UK’s new Prime Minister on Wednesday (13th July).

In other appointments, Justine Greening has been made Education Secretary, replacing Nicky Morgan. Greening has also been given responsibility for skills and universities, formerly under the jurisdiction of the department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), as part of a new, beefed up department. The new Business Secretary has meanwhile been named as Greg Clark, who has also been given responsibility for Energy and Industrial Strategy as part of changes to that department. Sajid Javid, former BIS minister, has been appointed Communities Secretary.

In other changes, Boris Johnson has been named as Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond has replaced George Osborne as Chancellor and Eurosceptic minister David Davis has been hired as the new Brexit Secretary. Meanwhile, Amber Rudd has been made Home Secretary, Liam Fox has been appointed as International Trade Secretary and former Tory leader candidate and Brexit supporter Andrea Leadsom has landed the remit for the department of the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.

Priti Patel has been appointed International Development Secretary, James Brokenshire Northern Ireland Secretary and Damian Green work and pensions secretary. Jeremy Hunt has retained his Department of Health remit.

Michael Gove, meanwhile, has been sacked as Justice Minister, replaced by Liz Truss.