A Guide to the Government for BIA Members
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A guide to the Government for BIA members Correct as of 26 June 2020 This is a briefing for BIA members on the Government led by Boris Johnson and key ministerial appointments for our sector after the December 2019 General Election and February 2020 Cabinet reshuffle. Following the Conservative Party’s compelling victory, the Government now holds a majority of 80 seats in the House of Commons. The life sciences sector is high on the Government’s agenda and Boris Johnson has pledged to make the UK “the leading global hub for life sciences after Brexit”. With its strong majority, the Government has the power to enact the policies supportive of the sector in the Conservatives 2019 Manifesto. All in all, this indicates a positive outlook for life sciences during this Government’s tenure. 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 Boris Johnson MP Special Adviser to the Prime Dominic Cummings Adviser to the Prime Minister on Dominic Cummings Minister overall strategy, particularly Brexit strategy and science policy PPS to the Prime Minister Alex Burghart MP and Trudy Alex Burghart MP Harrison MP Director of No10 Policy Unit Munira Mirza Adviser to the Prime Minister on Munira Mirza overall Government policy Special Adviser to the Prime Will Warr Health policy Will Warr Minister: Health and Social Care Chief Strategic Adviser Sir Edward Lister Senior aide to the Prime Minister Sir Edward Lister (Political) Cabinet Office Chancellor of the Duchy of Michael Gove MP Advising the Prime Minister on Michael Gove MP Lancaster developing and implementing Government policy; committees and implementation taskforces (including no-deal preparation; overseeing devolution consequences of EU exit) PPS to the Chancellor of the Kevin Hollinrake MP Kevin Hollinrake MP Duchy of Lancaster BIA member briefing Page 2 HM Treasury Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak MP Sajid Javid MP Joint Economic Unit Liam Booth-Smith, Co-ordinating economic policy between No10 and HMT Douglas McNeill, between Number 10 and the (established after the Feb Nerissa Chesterfield, Treasury; budget policy; media and 2020 reshuffle) comms PPS to the Chancellor James Cartlidge MP Chris Philp MP Chief Secretary to the Stephen Barclay MP Public expenditure including capital Rishi Sunak MP Treasury investment; tax credits Financial Secretary Jesse Norman MP Strategic oversight of the UK tax Jesse Norman MP system including direct, indirect, business, property and personal taxation; corporate and small business taxation; European and international tax issues Exchequer Secretary to the Kemi Badenoch MP UK growth and productivity; Simon Clarke MP Treasury including Industrial Strategy; Northern Powerhouse and Midlands Engine; promoting UK as a destination for foreign direct investment (non-financial services) and the Patient Capital Review Economic Secretary to the John Glen MP Financial conduct, including John Glen MP Treasury and City Minister relationship with the FCA; EU exit financial services; Bank lending and access to finance Business, Energy and Secretary of State for Alok Sharma MP Andrea Leadsom MP Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy BIA member briefing Page 3 Special Advisor to the Natasha Adkins Policy and media Marc Pooler Business Secretary Special Advisor to the Alex Hitchcock Policy and media Samantha Magnus Business Secretary PPS to the Business Jo Gideon MP Craig Tracey MP Secretary Parliamentary Under Nadhim Zahawi MP Industrial Strategy delivery; Sector Nadhim Zahawi MP Secretary of State (Minister Deals; sector lead for life sciences; for Business and Industry) supply chains; regulation and regulatory reform Parliamentary Under Amanda Solloway MP Science; research; innovation; Chris Skidmore MP (was Secretary of State intellectual property (Science and Minister of State) Universities brief now split between BEIS and DfE) Parliamentary Under Lord Callanan Lords lead on all BEIS issues; Lord Duncan of Secretary of State corporate governance; better Springbank regulation and regulatory reform; climate change Department of Health and Secretary of State for Matt Hancock MP Matt Hancock MP Social Care Health and Social Care Special Adviser to the Emma Dean 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 PPS to the Health Secretary Virginia Crosbie MP Gillian Keegan MP PPS to the Ministerial Team Steve Double MP James Cartlidge MP BIA member briefing Page 4 Minister of State for Care Helen Whately MP Research and life sciences; social Caroline Dinenage MP care; hospital care quality and patient safety; Minister of State for Health Edward Argar MP EU future relationship and trade; Edward Argar MP NHS operational performance Parliamentary Under Jo Churchill MP Public health system; health Jo Churchill MP Secretary of State for improvement; public health Prevention, Public Health delivery; primary care; major and Primary Care diseases Minister of State for Mental Nadine Dorries MP Mental health; patient safety and Nadine Dorries MP Health, Suicide Prevention quality; NHS litigation; sponsorship and Patient Safety of CQC and NHS Resolution Parliamentary Under- Lord Bethell of Romford Life sciences; medicines; research; Baroness Blackwood Secretary of State for rare diseases; anti-microbial Health resistance; global health security Department for Secretary of State for Liz Truss MP Liz Truss MP International Trade International Trade Special Advisor to the Trade Adam Jones, Policy and Comms Kane Daniell Secretary Sophie Jarvis PPS to the Trade Secretary David Duguid MP Bim Afolami MP PPS to the Ministerial Team Bim Afolami MP Mike Wood MP Minister of State for Trade Greg Hands MP Export controls; FTAs with USA, Conor Burns MP Policy Australia, New Zealand, Japan; reform of WTO; UK tariff policy Minister for Investment Lord Grimstone of Boscobel Investment strategy; promoting Graham Stuart MP Kt investment across all sectors; promoting FDI and portfolio investment in the UK BIA member briefing Page 5 Department for Education Secretary of State for Gavin Williamson CBE MP Damian Hinds MP Education Special Advisor to the Innes Taylor, Angus Walker Policy and Comms Katherine Howell Education Secretary Minister of State for Michelle Donelan MP Academic research and education Chris Skidmore MP (held Universities (‘Science and Universities’ brief now ‘Science and Universities’ split between BEIS and DfE) brief across BEIS and DfE) Parliamentary Under Gillian Keegan MP Apprenticeships and skills Nick Gibb (held brief as Secretary of State Minister) BIA member briefing Page 6 Key ministers and policymaker profiles Boris Johnson MP - Prime Minister Boris Johnson led the Conservative party to a major victory in the 2019 General Election. His manifesto has pledged to make the UK a leading global hub for life sciences, which he calls an industry of the future. He also promises to “unlock long-term capital in pension funds to invest in and commercialise our scientific discoveries” and expand R&D tax credits to include data, something the BIA has long advocated for. The BIA published analysis of each major party’s manifesto before the 2019 General Election. His first speech as PM in July 2019 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. 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, Sir John Bell and Will Warr (see below). Johnson spoke at the BIA UK Bioscience Forum in 2013 when Mayor of London 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 has not 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. Dominic Cummings - Special Adviser to the Prime Minister Dominic Cummings is Boris Johnson’s most senior special adviser and is highly influential in shaping the Government’s policies. He is thought to have been instrumental in the February 2020 reshuffle and in establishing a possible joint special adviser unit between No 10 and the Treasury, which many believe will leave the budget in the hands of No 10 (see more below). Currently most high-level