Would You like a feature Interview?
All Interviews are 100% FREE of Charge
Rishi Sunak asked Grant Shapps to develop a new plan for Britain to produce more of its own energy as part of a Cabinet reshuffle that created four new Whitehall departments.
The Prime Minister promoted his allies Greg Hands and Lucy Fraser to the Cabinet, giving Kemi Badenoch more responsibility.
He closed the existing Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis), Department of International Trade (DIT) and Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and reorganized the government.
Shapps, former Business Secretary, will lead the new division of Energy Security and Net Zero, which will focus on reducing short-term energy costs and accelerating long-term supply.
Mrs. Badenoch, who previously oversaw only trade policy, is in charge of the new Ministry of Business and Trade and continues her side job as minister for women and equality. Michelle Donelan has been transferred from DCMS to the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology. It combines some of its previous digital policy responsibilities with a renewed focus on encouraging UK start-ups and cutting-edge research.
The streamlined Ministry of Culture, Media and Sport will be headed by Mr Fraser, while Mr Hands will replace Nadim Zahawy as chairman of the Conservative Party.
Sunak argued that having a ministry dedicated to energy would help keep costs down for businesses and households. Over the next few months, Shaps will release details of his strategy to increase the supply of zero-carbon energy, particularly nuclear and renewables. A senior government source said:
Prime Minister said: That is why today it is so important to create a new sector with a particular focus on energy security and net zero. ”
But Labor has accused the government of downplaying the importance of state support for business after “industrial strategy” was dropped from the business sector’s name.
Shadow Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said:
Whitehall’s reforms will see the government structure largely revert to its pre-2016 organization, when it had a separate energy sector and trade was part of its business portfolio.