Lisa Nandy will retain the position of Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport under the new leadership of UK Prime Minister, Andy Burnham.
After taking office at No. 10 Downing Street yesterday, Burnham announced the first appointments to his senior Cabinet, assigning ministers to lead key government departments.
A new Labour?
Reshuffling Labour’s front bench, Burnham promoted John Healey from Defence Secretary to Chancellor of the Exchequer, replacing Rachel Reeves, who remains without a Cabinet post.
Other high-profile appointments saw former party leader Ed Miliband transferred to the Foreign Office as Foreign Secretary. Meanwhile, leadership rival Wes Streeting was appointed Defence Secretary, and Angela Rayner returned to her former role as Secretary of State for Housing.
Alongside Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Lisa Nandy was the only Cabinet minister to be re-appointed to the same Secretary of State role, where she will continue to lead the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
Her reappointment surprised political observers, as Burnham had been expected to assign Nandy a ‘special role’ to oversee his key agenda of local devolution and greater council autonomy, according to reports in The Daily Telegraph in the build up to Burnham becoming PM.
However, the creation of a new department did not materialise; it had also been anticipated that Burnham could appoint Nandy as Education Secretary, a position ultimately given to Lucy Powell.
Nandy was therefore reappointed as Culture Secretary, retaining responsibility for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. However, Burnham also expanded her brief to formally restore responsibility for digital policy.
Burnham also confirmed that Labour will abolish the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), a department established under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to “bolster productivity, promote enterprise and support the UK’s digital economy”.
Instead, its remit has been merged with the business sector – it will now fall under the newly created Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST), which is overseen by Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds.
DCMS full agenda
Nandy, who has led DCMS since July 2024 after being appointed by Keir Starmer, is expected to complete the BBC Charter Review, which will examine the future of the licence fee and consider alternative funding models for the state broadcaster.
Elsewhere, DCMS will oversee the drafting of a new Live Sports Events Bill and the review of Arts Council England, including the distribution of arts and heritage funding to regional authorities.
On the gambling front, DCMS will oversee the remaining compliance reforms arising from the Gambling Act Review, including the planned implementation of financial risk checks on customers reaching net deposits of £150 over a 30-day period.
The department will also play a key role in finalising the statutory mechanism for the mandatory levy on betting operators to fund gambling harm research, prevention and treatment, a programme led by the NHS, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
Of particular significance, DCMS will also be tasked with appointing a new leadership team for the Gambling Commission following the departure of Chair Marcus Boyle in 2025, CEO Andrew Rhodes in May 2026, and Executive Director Tim Miller last month.
Nandy’s reappointment provides a rare degree of continuity for a department that has experienced frequent turmoil this decade.
Since 2019, DCMS has had nine Secretaries of State under several successive Conservative prime ministers, with repeated ministerial reshuffles often disrupting the progression of long-term policy planning.
What should gambling expect from Burnham?
The betting and gaming space is not a top priority for Burnham. His first speech as PM set out a focus on the economy, taxation and the social care system, stating that he “does not want to leave office” without making significant reforms to the latter – a commitment that also largely shaped his previous role as the Mayor of Greater Manchester.
He has also focused heavily on regional political devolution, with promises of moving powers away from London towards other hubs around the country, including Manchester.
This topic may link closely with gambling over the past year or so as MPs such as labour’s Dawn Butler, alongside a huge number of local councilors, called for greater powers for local governments around gambling licensing.
This is an issue that Burnham has expressed support for, signing a letter along with 38 other local officials calling for more powers and an effective reversal of the ‘Aim to Permit’ licensing rule.
A sympathetic ear for gambling, or a cause for concern?
Overall, Burnham is a politician who the gambling reform lobby will likely find a sympathetic ear in, while the industry lobby will struggle to find one.
Moving on from this though, what are Burnham’s chances of seeing things through and winning the next general election? The next election must occur by no later than 15 August 2029, though as PM, Burnham can call one whenever he so wishes.
According to Betfair trading, Burnham’s ascension to No 10 Downing Street – and No 10 North in Manchester when that is officially established – has seen a boost in confidence to Labour’s chances, with his predecessor Starmer having tanked in popularity as May local election results showed.
According to Betfair Predicts, Labour’s chance of winning the most seats at the next UK election has hit 36%, followed by Nigel Farage’s Reform UK at 28%, Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives at 22%, Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain and Zak Polanski’s Green Party at 6%, and Ed Davey’s Liberal Democrats at 2%.
Betfair Predicts puts Burnham’s chances of remaining PM after the next general election at 81%, while his chances of being replaced as Labour leader in 2026 stand at just 10%, in 2027 at 12% and 2028 at 24%, before surging to 71% in 2029 or later.
Betfair Spokesperson Sam Rosbottom said: “While Andy Burnham has literally just become Prime Minister, the early signs for Labour on Betfair Predicts are good, punters now make them favourites to win the most seats at the next general election.
“The odds flipped in their favour when Sir Keir Starmer announced he was stepping down, but they have improved to 36% since Andy Burnham won the leadership contest unopposed.
“Reform UK had been the front runners to win most seats for more than a year up to last month, and their chances were as high as 53% at one point, now Nigel Farage’s party are down to 28%.
“The Makerfield MP has become the sixth Prime Minister in 10 years, and punters are backing him to stop the Number 10 merry-go-round, with a 71% chance his premiership will last to 2029 or later.”
UK politics, and betting on it, will now turn to the next big context – the 13 August by-election showdown between Reform’s Nigel Farage and intergalactic space warrior Count Binface, along with a few other candidates – though Labour, the Conservatives, Greens, Lib Dems and Restore are all boycotting the vote.