After six hours of speculation, most in SW1 seem ready to re-shuffle off their mortal coil. As the hacks and hangers-on picks over who’s up and who’s down, attention has focused on the newly-appointed Culture Secretary. Former nurse and part-time novelist Nadine Dorries succeeds Oliver Dowden in the post, having served two years in the health department in which capacity she made headlines for being the first MP to test positive for Covid.
Dorries is an interesting choice for the role sometimes known as the ‘Minister for fun.’ Elected in 2005 she is considered to be on the right of the party: a proto-Brexiteer who advocated sexual abstinence for girls in sex education and reductions in the abortion time limits. Her appearance on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here in 2013 did not convince her of the merits of the luvvie elite, about whom she has expressed a number of candid views on Twitter.
In her new role, the minister will have control of the DCMS brief for digital, culture, media and sporting issues. And who better to hold the brief, judging from her social media activity? Dorries has railed against ‘left wing snowflakes’ who are ‘killing comedy, dumbing down panto, removing Christ from Christmas and suppressing free speech.’
She likened former Labour frontbencher Chuka Umunna – whom she dubbed ‘Chuck’ – to the former boxer Chris Eubank, criticised the salary of Premier League footballers and claimed ‘the BBC’s structure of payment and aggressive persecution would be more in keeping in a soviet style country.’
Best of luck to Britain’s top sports stars, entertainers and well-remunerated Beeb execs then…
Comments