Michelle Donelan succeeds Dorries as culture secretary 

New prime minister Liz Truss has appointed Michelle Donelan as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport.

Formerly Secretary of State for Higher & Further Education (between 2020 to 2022), Donelan has been MP for Chippenham since 2015. She served as education secretary for two days from 5th July to 7th July 2022.

Before her entrance into politics, Donelan worked in marketing, including as marketing manager for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). She also worked for a time at Marie Claire. 

News of the appointment comes amid a number of cabinet announcements from Truss, with Kwasi Kwarteng named chancellor of the exchequer and deputy prime minister, Therese Coffey as health secretary, James Cleverly as foreign secretary and Suella Braverman as home secretary.

Donelan succeeds Nadine Dorries, who was culture secretary between 7th September 2021 and 6th September 2022.

Truss is understood to have offered Dories the opportunity to remain in the role, in a story first reported by Mail Plus, however, it is expected Dorries will receive a peerage from outgoing prime minister Boris Johnson instead, which will trigger a by-election in the Mid Bedfordshire constituency she has held since 2005.

During her tenure, she challenged publishers to do more to support libraries and open up access to the industry for those from underprivileged backgrounds.  

Also an author published by Head of Zeus, Dorries’ first novel, The Four Streets, was published in 2014, and she has gone on to write a series of historical books either set in Liverpool, where she grew up and trained as a nurse, or the west coast of Ireland.

Dan Conway, c.e.o at the Publishers Association said of the appointment: "We’re delighted to welcome Michelle Donelan as the new Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport. The UK’s £6.7 billion publishing industry is world leading and supports over 70,000 jobs across the country. We look forward to working with the Minister to further boost UK publishing’s economic, social, and cultural contribution and in writing the next chapter of the industry’s global success story."