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Home , Alex Chalk, Chris Skidmore, Conor Burns, Dominic Cummings, James Duddridge, Jo Johnson

A guide to the Government for BIA members

Correct as of 29 July 2019

This is a briefing for BIA members on the new Government led by and key ministerial appointments for our sector.

With 311 MPs, the Conservative Government does not have a parliamentary majority and the new Prime Minister may also have to contend with a number of his own backbenchers who are openly opposed to his premiership and approach to . It is currently being assumed that he is continuing the confidence and supply deal with the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). If the DUP will support the Government in key votes, such as on his Brexit deal (if one emerges), the Queen's Speech and Budgets, Boris Johnson will a working majority of 2. However, this may be diminished by Conservative rebels and pending byelections.

Contents: Ministerial and policy maker positions in the new Government relevant to the life sciences sector ...... 2 Ministers and policy maker profiles...... 7

Ministerial and policy maker positions in the new Government relevant to the life sciences sector*

*Please note that this guide only covers ministers and responsibilities relevant to the life sciences and will be updated as further roles and responsibilities are announced.

Department Position Holder Relevant responsibility Holder in previous government Number 10 Prime Minister Boris Johnson MP Overall-government policy MP Director of No10 Policy Unit Adviser to the Prime Minister on James Marshall (has now overall Government policy left government) Special Adviser to the Prime Adviser to the Prime Minister on N/C Minister overall strategy, particularly Brexit and no-deal planning Special Adviser to the Prime Will Warr Health policy Dr James Kent Minister: Health and Social Care Special Adviser to the Prime Unknown Industrial Strategy Giles Wilkes (no longer in Minister: Industrial Strategy government) Chief of Staff Sir Edward Lister Senior aide to the Prime Minister (no longer in government) Chancellor of the Duchy of MP Advising the Prime Minister on MP (has Lancaster developing and implementing now left government) Government policy; committees and implementation taskforces (including no-deal preparation; overseeing devolution consequences of EU exit

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HM Treasury Chancellor of the Exchequer MP Overall economic policy Phillip Hammond MP Special Adviser to the Samuel Coates and Policy Poppy Trowbridge Chancellor Matthew Elliot Special Adviser to the Olivia Robey Political Kane Daniell Chancellor Special Adviser to the James Hedgeland Media and Comms Sonia Khan Chancellor PPS to the Chancellor TBC Point of contact for MPs on behalf of Sajid Javid MP Chief Secretary to the MP Public expenditure including capital MP Treasury investment; tax credits (now Secretary of State for Trade) Financial Secretary MP Strategic oversight of the UK tax MP (no longer system including direct, indirect, in government) business, property and personal taxation; corporate and small business taxation; European and international tax issues Exchequer Secretary to the This role no longer exists UK growth and productivity, MP (now Treasury including Industrial Strategy, Secretary of State for Northern Power House and Communities and Local Midlands Engine, promoting UK as a Government) destination for foreign direct investment (non-financial services) and the Patient Capital Review Economic Secretary to the MP Financial conduct, including John Glen MP Treasury and relationship with the FCA; EU exit

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financial services; Bank lending and access to finance Business, Energy and Secretary of State for MP Overall business policy MP Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Special Advisor to the Marc Pooler Policy and media Jacob Willmer Business Secretary Special Advisor to the Luke Graystone Policy and media Will Holloway Business Secretary PPS to the Business Unknown Point of contact for MPs on behalf of Secretary Andrea Leadsom MP for MP Science, research and innovation; MP (now Universities, Science and industrial strategy; intellectual in the health Innovation (joint with DfE) property department) Parliamentary Under Lord Duncan of Springbank Life sciences, industrial strategy, EU Lord Henley (no longer in Secretary of State single market, Lords lead on all BEIS government) issues Department of Health and Secretary of State for MP Overall health policy Matt Hancock MP Social Care Health and Social Care Special Adviser to the Richard Sloggett Advising the Health Secretary across Richard Sloggett Health Secretary his brief Special Adviser to the Jamie Njoku-Goodwin Media Jamie Njoku-Goodwin Health Secretary Special Adviser to the Allan Nixon Parliamentary liaison Allan Nixon Health Secretary

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PPS to the Health Secretary Unknown Point of contact for MPs on behalf of MP Matt Hancock MP Minister of State for Health Chris Skidmore MP Brexit; commercial MP Minister of State for Care Caroline Dinenage MP Social care Caroline Dinenage MP Parliamentary Under MP TBC Seema Kennedy MP Secretary of State Parliamentary Under TBC Jackie Doyle-Price MP Secretary of State Parliamentary Under- Baroness Blackwood Life sciences industry; R&D; rare Baroness Blackwood Secretary of State for diseases; medicines pricing and Health regulation; data; academic health science centres Department for Exiting Secretary of State for MP Policy to support Brexit Stephen Barclay MP the Exiting the European Union negotiations and co-ordinating across Government Special Adviser to the Brexit Steph Lis Policy and comms Steph Lis Secretary

Special Adviser to the Brexit Kenny Ferguson Policy and comms Kenny Ferguson Secretary PPS to the Secretary of Unknown Point of contact for MPs on behalf of MP State for Exiting the Stephen Barclay MP European Union Parliamentary Under MP Business engagement; MP Secretary of State Implementation period; market access; and Ireland Department for Secretary of State for Liz Truss MP Developing, co-ordinating and MP International Trade International Trade delivering a new trade and

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investment policy to promote UK business across the globe Special Advisor to the Trade Kane Daniell Policy and Comms David Goss Secretary PPS to the Trade Secretary Unknown Point of contact for MPs on behalf of Mike Wood MP Liam Fox MP Minister of State MP Responsibility for the Trade Policy MP Group and the development of new trade policy Parliamentary Under Graham Stuart MP Bio-economy, chemicals and agri- Graham Stuart MP Secretary of State (Minister technology for Investment) Minister of State for Trade Unknown Lead on promotion of UK goods and Baroness Rona Fairhead and Export Promotion services abroad, including life science and healthcare Secretary of State for MP Overall education policy Damian Hinds MP (No Education longer in government) Special Advisor to the TBC Policy and Comms Jon Yates Education Secretary Special Advisor to the TBC Policy and Comms Meg Powell-Chandler Education Secretary Minister of State for Jo Johnson MP Higher education Chris Skidmore MP (now Universities and Science at the health (joint with BEIS) department) Minister of State Unknown Apprenticeships, technical Ann Milton MP (no longer education and skills in government)

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Key ministers and policy maker profiles

Boris Johnson - Prime Minister

Everybody knows who Boris Johnson is, but few know what he will be like as Prime Minister. His opening speech praised the UK’s “extraordinary bioscience sector” and highlighted the life sciences and academia as strengths of the economy. He mentioned a new gene therapy to treat the most common form of blindness, which, though he didn’t name them, has been developed by Gyroscope and Orbit Biomedical, both BIA members. And he promised tax changes to increase incentives for businesses to invest in capital and research, hinting at the BIA’s long-called for expansions to R&D tax credits. The speech gave several reasons to be hopeful for beneficial policies for the life sciences sector, and suggests a strong influence from individuals like George Freeman MP, John Bell and Will Warr (see below).

Taking the UK out of the EU on 31 October, with or without a deal, was the war cry of his leadership campaign and he repledged to do so in his first speech as Prime Minister. His approach means Whitehall must now fully prepare for a no-deal scenario, which means ensuring medicines can continue to be imported and exported in such a scenario.

Johnson spoke at the BIA UK Bioscience Forum in 2013 when Mayor of and, in 2014, launched MedCity, which aimed to support London and the south east becoming the world’s life sciences capital. As an MP he hasn’t made the sector a key focus of his work but has written about gene therapies in his Telegraph column and has backed greater NHS spending. BIA members GSK and MSD are based in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency.

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William Warr – Special Adviser to the Prime Minister for Health, Social Care, Life Sciences, Technology & AI

Together with Sir John Bell, William wrote the UK's Life Science Industrial Strategy. He has been involved in implementing initiatives launched through the strategy since then and also working for Lynton Crosby’s political consultancy, which has been running Boris Johnson’s campaigns for many years. He also briefly worked in ’s Policy Implementation Unit in 2015.

His appointment to advise the Prime Minister suggests Johnson believes in the industrial strategy approach of the previous administration and bodes well for the life sciences sector. William is close to the BIA – Steve Bates was on John Bell’s advisory board for the strategy and William attended a BIA roundtable late last year.

William was awarded a PhD in 2019 for his work at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the . He studied policy at Cambridge University and politics at Durham. He’s also a keen rower and was the first person in 188 years to row for both Oxford and Cambridge boat race teams.

Sajid Javid - Chancellor of the Exchequer

Sajid Javid has a background in banking and is well known as a fan of and proponent of small government and free markets. However, under Boris Johnson, he has been committed to significant increases in government spending. Javid was previously and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government before that. In the Cameron Government, he was Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills from May 2015 until July 2016. As Business Secretary, Javid rejected an active industrial strategy approach, and directed Innovate UK to provide more loans in place of grants. However, he has called for corporate tax cuts to help SMEs.

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Andrea Leadsom - Secretary of State for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy

Andrea Leadsom worked in the banking and finance industry for 25 years, most recently as Head of Corporate Governance and Senior Investment Officer at Invesco Perpetual, one of the UK’s largest retail fund managers and a significant investor in the life sciences.

This is Leadsom’s first role at the helm of a Whitehall department, but she was Leader of the House of Commons from June 2017 to May 2019. She ran to be leader of the Conservative Party twice.

Leadsom has not said much to reveal her views on the sector. She was vocal about the pricing of Orkambi, publishing statements on her interactions with Vertex and its impact on her constituents. And speaking in June 2019 during the recent leadership campaign, she noted the importance of reaching a deal with the EU on certain areas of regulation but did not mention pharmaceuticals.

Despite a wide-ranging shake-up of the Cabinet, the new Prime Minister has not changed any department’s remit, meaning industrial strategy – implemented under Theresa May – remains a focus for Leadsom’s department. The industrial strategy approach has benefitted the life sciences sector through additional R&D funding, policy initiatives and coordination across government.

Matt Hancock – Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

Matt Hancock has been Health Secretary since July 2018, having been appointed by Theresa May. He was one of the few Ministers to survive in post following Boris Johnson taking office.

As Health Secretary, Hancock has been an enthusiastic backer of innovation in healthcare, particularly in digital and genomics, and was in post when the Life Sciences Sector Deal 2 was published. He has also overseen the PPRS renegotiation and stated that the deal is “good for patients, good for the NHS and good for the UK life sciences industry. Cutting-edge and best value medicines will be fast-tracked, and we will cut our medicines bill by £930 million next year following tough but constructive negotiations with the pharmaceutical industry.” However, in his charge, the Health Department objected to an international agreement to reduce drug prices as part of a resolution at the World Health Organisation, crucially maintaining IP protections and commercial confidentiality.

Hancock has been intimately involved in no-deal planning for medicines supply but has not offered strong reassurances on the UK’s future relationship with the European Medicines Agency. He co-chairs the Life Sciences Council, on which the BIA has two seats, and he spoke at the recent Future of Healthcare Investor Forum at the London Stock Exchange, which the BIA helped to organise. BIA member Genzyme is in his constituency of West Suffolk.

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He stood as leader of Conservative Party in the recent race but withdrew on 14 June and later backed Boris Johnson. Prior to becoming Health Secretary, he was Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport from January 2018 to July 2018 and held a number of junior ministerial positions.

Ministers for the life sciences

The responsibilities for the life sciences continues to be split between Health and Business Ministers.

Baroness Blackwood - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health

Baroness Blackwood was made a life peer and appointed as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care on 10 January 2019. She has kept her position in the new Johnson Government.

Baroness Blackwood was elected as the Conservative MP for Oxford West and Abingdon (a constituency rich in biotech companies) in May 2010 and served as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health from July 2016 until June 2017. From June 2015 to July 2016, she was Chair of the Science and Technology Select Committee.

The BIA and Baroness Blackwood have worked together for many years in her various roles in Parliament and outside of politics. Between 2017 and 2019, she was Chair of the Human Tissue Authority, Board Member of Oxford University Innovations, Advisory Board Member of Push Doctor and Eagle Genomics, and a Board Member of the Campaign for Science and Engineering.

Baroness Blackwood was diagnosed with the rare genetic condition, Ehlers–Danlos syndrome, in 2013. She has a degree in Music from the University of Oxford and an MPhil in Musicology from the University of Cambridge.

Lord Duncan of Springbank – Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

Lord Duncan was an MEP between 2014 to 2017 and was made a life peer in June 2017 to become Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, a role he has held up until this appointment to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Lord Duncan has had a varied career, which started with BP before moving into public affairs and communications roles across a range of sectors. In 2014, he was elected to the European Parliament. There, he was Chief Whip for the

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Conservative Party and served on the Environment & Public Health (ENVI) Committee, the Industry, Research & Energy (ITRE) Committee, and the Fisheries (PECH) Committee.

He has a degree in geology from the University of St Andrews and a PhD in paleontology from the University of Bristol.

For additional information please contact Eric Johnsson, Policy and Public Affairs Manager, at [email protected] or 0207 630 2197.

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