Sir John Whittingdale in parliament

Sir John Whittingdale was Culture Secretary in 2015/16

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Former Culture Secretary rejoins DCMS

John Whittingdale returns to government, while Julian Knight announces he will be leaving parliament and relinquishing role as Chair of DCMS Select Committee.

Neil Puffett
2 min read

Former Culture Secretary Sir John Whittingdale is rejoining the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, it has been confirmed.

Whittingdale, who was Culture Secretary in 2015/16, and later Minister of State for Media and Data in 2020/21, will take on the responsibilities of Julia Lopez who is going on maternity leave.

Lopez's DCMS brief includes the creative industries, media, and tourism. Whittingdale will also take on Lopez's joint responsibilities within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Whittingdale tweeted that he is "delighted to be returning to government for the third time as minister at DCMS".

Meanwhile Julian Knight has announced that he will be stepping down as Chair of the DCMS Select Committe and will be leaving parliament at the next General Election.

Knight was suspended by the Conservative Party in December after a complaint was made to police, with Conservative MP Damian Green acting as Chair since then.

The police investigation was subsequently dropped, but Knight has said that does not intend to continue as an MP.

In a statement issued via Twitter, Knight said: "I will not be standing for the Conservatives or any other party at the next general election. 

"The past year has been for my wife and I the worst of our lives. The false and malicious accusation brought against me last December did untold damage to my physical and mental well-being as well as causing pain and distress to my loved ones. 

"I will now sit until the general election in parliament as an independent – continuing to work for Solihull and my constituents. 

"The chairmanship of the DCMS select committee is a party position that I have no choice but to relinquish, given my decision to remain an independent."

Following Knight's resignation the process for selecting a new Chair of the committee has begun.

Nominations close at noon on Tuesday 16 May. If there is more than one candidate, a ballot will take place on Wednesday 17 May between 11am and 2.30pm.

Under the standing orders of the House of Commons, the position of Chair of the committee is allocated to the Conservative Party.